President Obama has tapped Robert Abbey, a veteran public land policy leader, to be the next director of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Abbey has more than 32 years in public service, working with state and federal land management agencies before retiring from the federal government in July 2005. He was the Nevada state director for the BLM for eight years. Abbey’s nomination requires Senate confirmation.

President Obama also announced that he intends to nominate Sam D. Hamilton to be the next director of Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hamilton currently is the director of the agency’s Southeast Region. His nomination also requires Senate confirmation.

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