Controversial BLM director nominee clears first Senate hurdle
Ellis Juhlin
President Trump’s nominee to lead the country’s largest land management agency received preliminary approval from a Senate committee last week.
In a vote along party lines, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last Wednesday approved of Stevan Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management. All of the committee’s Democratic members, including New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, voted against the nomination.
"While Congressman Pearce has said that his past actions opposing national monument designations and calling for public land sell-offs are in his rear view mirror, they remain very much in the memory of every New Mexican who faced his opposition to protecting the lands that they cherish," Heinrich said.
In his initial hearing, Pearce promised to follow the law, which does not allow for large public land sales.
Pearce will now face a full confirmation vote in the Senate.
Dillon City Council appoints new mayor
Victoria Traxler
Dillon City Council voted last week to appoint Michael Klakken to serve as mayor.
The appointment follows John McGinley’s abrupt departure from the role in February. McGinley quit during a council meeting, citing stress and communication issues.
Klakken is familiar with the role. He served as Dillon’s mayor for eight years prior to his retirement in 2021. Klakken told officials he returned as a candidate to help get the city back on track.
Court upholds state law that allows insurance companies to factor gender, marital status into rates
Shaylee RagarThe state has successfully defended a law that allows insurance companies to consider gender and marital status when setting rates for Montanans. The law repealed a decades old ban on the practice.
State Auditor James Brown applauded the Lewis and Clark District Court’s decision to dismiss a 2021 lawsuit challenging the law. Brown says the policy lowered costs for some Montanans by allowing insurance companies to adjust rates based on gender and marital status.
Three plaintiffs and the Montana Chapter of the National Organization for Women filed suit, arguing that amounts to unconstitutional discrimination. The court disagreed.
Judge Mike Menahan wrote the Constitution allows a law to target a specific class of people if it’s relevant to the law’s purpose and all people in that class are treated equally.
Bozeman-based candidate withdraws from State Department nomination process
Shaylee Ragar
A Bozeman-based candidate nominated for a top U.S. Department of State job withdrew from consideration.
Jeremy Carl faced intense questions during a Senate Foreign Relations hearing over past statements members called racist and anti-Israel. President Donald Trump nominated Carl to be Assistant Secretary of State overseeing international organizations – a position that requires Senate confirmation.
In a post to social media Tuesday, Carl said he withdrew because he lacked the unanimous GOP support he needed to advance. The committee had not yet taken a vote, but Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis said publicly he would not support Carl.
Carl is a fellow with the Conservative think tank, Claremont Institute, and a former Humanities Montana board member. Gov. Greg Gianforte appointed Carl in 2022 to the nonprofit board that supports cultural programs around the state.
