President Donald Trump has nominated Kathleen Sgamma to head up the Bureau of Land Management, further cementing an oil and gas focus for the Department of Interior under his administration. 

The nomination was formally sent to the Senate from the White House on Tuesday, where it will be considered by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, according to the congressional record. 

Sgamma has served as president of the Denver-based oil and gas trade group Western Energy Alliance since 2006. For over 50 years, the group has represented independent oil and gas producers, advocating increased access to public lands for drilling as well as mining operations. 

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Sgamma herself has called for less regulation on the industry when it comes to operating on public lands, criticizing rules put in place by the Biden and Obama administrations. 

In April of last year, Sgamma criticized the Interior Department’s final rule that updated the department’s oil and gas leasing program for the first time in decades. The rule increased leasing fees and royalty rates — a move the oil and gas producers claimed put a burden on the industry. 

“This is another rule by the Biden Administration meant to deliver on the president’s promise of no federal oil and natural gas,” Sgamma said in a statement at the time. 

Before working in the oil and gas industry, Sgamma served in the army for several years and was deployed during the Persian Gulf War. 

She received her bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later received an M.S. in Information Systems from Virginia Tech. 

Her confirmation as director of BLM would advance the Trump administration’s goals of prioritizing oil and gas development — walking back Biden administration efforts to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy alternatives. 

Established in 1946, the BLM governs the use of around 245 million acres of federal land and manages roughly one in 10 acres across the United States. In addition to conserving these lands, the agency regularly holds lease sales for oil and gas development. 

BLM is under the Department of Interior, which is now being led by Secretary Doug Burgum, who was confirmed by the Senate at the end of last month. 

Burgum has vowed to back the president’s energy dominance agenda, through maximizing drilling on federal lands as well as the use of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. 

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None of Trump’s energy- and environment-related nominees have faced difficulties being confirmed so far.  

A hearing regarding Sgamma’s confirmation has yet to be scheduled.