Patrick Shea of Utah Confirmed By Senate To Head Bureau of Land Management

Patrick A. Shea of Utah was confirmed late yesterday by the Senate, as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. He was nominated by President Clinton on June 10, and his nomination was unanimously approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, July 23, 1997.

"Pat Shea is a westerner with an understanding of the issues facing the federal landscape," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. "He will work to ensure that our stewardship mandate is carried out responsibly and with vision."

Babbitt welcomed Shea's experience in dispute resolution strategies, "Pat will bring all those with an interest in the public lands to the table so that we continue to develop and implement common-sense land management policies that ensure a proper public land heritage for present and future generations to enjoy."

Shea, 49, is a prominent Utah lawyer, educator, and businessman. In his testimony before the Senate Energy and Resources Committee, Shea described his 22 years of legal practice and relevant experience, "I have represented oil and gas companies and served on The Nature Conservancy Board for Utah. I have represented mining companies while starting a 15,000 acre nature park in City Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City."

"We are going to lower the temperature and engage in meaningful and productive dialogue," said Shea. "We will focus on being good neighbors, practicing good science, and being productive partners."

Along with practicing law in Salt Lake City and the District of Columbia, Shea is an Adjunct Professor of political science at the Brigham Young University Law School. In December 1996, he was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. Prior to his private law practice, he served as General Counsel and Assistant Secretary for Standard Communications Inc., in Salt Lake City from 1985-to-1993. He also worked in the District of Columbia as Counsel to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1979-to-1980.

Shea also served on the Board of Advisors for the Wharton School of Business' global competition center. Over the past 10 years, he has served as chair of the Salt Lake City Airport Authority, as a director of the University of Utah's Natural History Museum, and as a member of the Board of Visitor's for BYU's Law School.

A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Shea earned a law degree from Harvard University, in 1975, Rhodes Scholar, 1970-72, master's degree from Oxford University in 1972, and his bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 1970. Shea resides in Salt Lake City with his wife Debbie, and two sons, Michael and Paul.

Shea becomes the 15th Director of the 51 year old Bureau of Land Management. The BLM Director has policy and administrative responsibility for 270 million acres of surface land and over 570 million acres of mineral estate, with an annual budget of more than $1 billion, and a work force of about 9,000 employees.

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