Biden taps Montana environmentalist for US public lands boss

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A longtime environmental advocate and Democratic aide has been nominated by President Joe Biden to oversee roughly a quarter-billion acres of federally owned land in Western states.

It's the latest in a string of political appointments raising concerns among Republicans as Biden moves to curtail energy production from public reserves.

Biden nominated Tracy Stone-Manning of Missoula, Montana, to direct the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management.

The bureau has jurisdiction over vast reserves of oil, gas and coal and is set to play a key role in Biden’s commitment announced Thursday to cut climate warming emissions from fossil fuels by at least half by 2030.