Livestock Groups Support Abbey

The American Sheep Industry Association, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the Public Lands Council, along with 12 western state livestock groups, contacted Ken Salazar, secretary of the Department of the Interior, to endorse the appointment of Bob Abbey as the director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The group stressed that Abbey's experience working for the BLM at the national and state levels has prepared him for this appointment. In Nevada, he gained hands-on experience in dealing with wildland fires, feral horses, endangered species and other environmental concerns; but more importantly, Abbey earned a reputation for being honest, fair and generally a good partner.

Abbey has demonstrated the leadership needed to balance BLM's conflicting obligations and lead the agency through these trying times, concluded the signators.