BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — President Joe Biden has nominated Tracy Stone-Manning of Missoula, Montana, to direct the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management.

She will 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.

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.

Get our free mobile app

The Best Small Towns to Live in Across America

LOOK: Here are the best small towns to live in across America

More From Laramie Live