| Office | Director of the Bureau of Land Management |
|---|---|
| Term start | October 27, 2021 |
| Term end | January 13, 2025 |
| Predecessor | Neil Kornze (2017) |
| Successor | Steve Pearce |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Office 1 | Director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality |
| Term start 1 | January 2013 |
| Term end 1 | November 2014 |
| Governor 1 | Steve Bullock |
| Predecessor 1 | Richard Opper |
| Successor 1 | Tom Livers[1] |
| Birth date | 1965 (age 61–62) |
| Birth name | Tracy Stone |
| Birth place | Springfield, Virginia, U.S. |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BA) University of Montana (MS) |
| Spouse | Richard Manning |
Tracy Stone-Manning (born 1965)[2] is an American environmental policy advisor who served as the director of the Bureau of Land Management in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2025. Stone-Manning is the President of The Wilderness Society.
Early life and education
Stone-Manning was born in Springfield, Virginia.[3] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Science in environmental studies from the University of Montana.[4]
Career
From 1999 to 2006, Stone-Manning was the director of the Clark Fork Coalition, an environmental protection organization based in Missoula, Montana. She joined the U.S. Senate office of Jon Tester, serving as his regional director from 2007 to 2012 and acting state staff director and senior advisor in 2012.[5]
Upon taking office, Governor Steve Bullock appointed Stone-Manning to succeed Richard Opper as director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. From January 2013 to November 2014, Stone-Manning served as the director. From November 2014 to December 2017, she was the chief of staff for Montana Governor Bullock. Since 2017, Stone-Manning has worked for the National Wildlife Federation, first as associate vice president for public lands and then as a senior advisor for conservation policy.[6][7]
As of March 2025, Tracy is the President of The Wilderness Society.
Directorship of Bureau of Land Management
President Joe Biden nominated Stone-Manning for director of the Bureau of Land Management on April 22, 2021.[8] Hearings on her nomination were held on June 8, 2021. The committee deadlocked on her nomination on July 22, 2021, forcing the entire Senate to discharge the nomination. On July 27, 2021, the United States Senate voted 50–49 on the motion to discharge her nomination from the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.[9] On September 30, 2021, the Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 50–45.[10] Those who had voted against her were uniformly Republican; some stated that her earlier connection to what they said was "eco-terrorism" was disqualifying.[11]
She started work on October 7, 2021, and was sworn in on October 27.[12][13]
Environmental activism
In 1989, a friend of Stone-Manning's, and fellow environmental activist, was involved in tree spiking in Idaho's Clearwater National Forest. Tree spiking is a tactic used to deter logging by rendering a tree dangerous to cut, either by a lumberjack or in a sawmill, and is considered an act of eco-terrorism. At the friend's behest, Stone-Manning wrote an anonymous, profanity-laced letter to federal officials, informing them of the tree spiking and warning that "a lot of people could get hurt" if logging were to continue. In her 1993 federal court testimony, Stone-Manning admitted that she had retyped, edited, and mailed the letter. She received prosecutorial immunity in order to testify against the activist. The activist was found guilty and sentenced to 17 months in prison.[11]
Personal life
Stone-Manning is married to Richard Manning, an environmental author and journalist. As of 2021, she lives in Missoula, Montana.[3]
References
- ^ Kuglin, Tom (November 25, 2014). "Bullock taps Tom Livers for DEQ director post". Helena Independent Record. Archived July 8, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Bio Box". The Montana Standard. December 14, 2012. Archived July 20, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "Who is Montana's Tracy Stone-Manning". Big Sky Words. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
- ^ "NWF Taps Montana Governor's Top Aide to Lead Public Lands Program". National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ "NBC Montana: Tester reacts to report of Tracy Stone-Manning nomination to direct BLM". www.tester.senate.gov. Archived May 7, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ Fischler, Jacob. "Montana's Tracy Stone-Manning tapped to lead BLM". Agweek. Archived April 22, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ "President Biden Announces 12 Key Climate and Infrastructure Administration Nominations". The White House. April 22, 2021. Archived July 6, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ^ O'Brien, Edward (2021-04-15). "Biden Expected To Nominate Tracy Stone-Manning As BLM Lead". Montana Public Radio. Archived October 29, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ "On the Motion to Discharge (Motion to Discharge: Tracy Stone-Manning to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources)". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate. July 27, 2021. Archived July 29, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ D'Angelo, Chris (2021-09-30). "Tracy Stone-Manning Confirmed As Biden's Public Lands Chief". HuffPost. Archived October 1, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ Brown, Matthew (June 11, 2021). "Biden nominee linked to 1989 sabotage draws Republican ire". Associated Press. Archived June 12, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Fischler, Jacob (2021-10-21). "Biden's new public lands chief faced with building bridges after confirmation battle". Colorado Newsline. Archived October 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- ^ "Tracy Stone-Manning Sworn In as Director of the Bureau of Land Management". United States Department of the Interior. 2021-10-27. Archived October 27, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-11-02.