BLM Pick Prioritizes Polluters Over People—What’s at Stake for Alaska

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Date: 2/14/2025 
Contact: Anja Semanco | 724-967-2777 | anja@alaskawild.org 

Following the nomination of Kathleen Sgamma, a long-time oil and gas proponent to lead the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alex Cohen, Government Affairs Director at Alaska Wilderness League, released the following statement: 

“Sgamma’s nomination isn’t just a conflict of interest—it’s a five-alarm fire for our clean air, healthy landscapes, and public lands that serve all Americans,” said Alex Cohen, Government Affairs Director at Alaska Wilderness League. “With a history of prioritizing polluters over people, she claims to be an expert on Alaska’s public lands but already confused the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with the Western Arctic. If you’re going to push policies that sacrifice Alaska’s most iconic landscapes, you should at least know which one you’re selling out to Big Oil.”