By Nichola Groom

(Reuters) -Oil industry lobbyist Kathleen Sgamma has withdrawn herself from consideration to lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Senator Mike Lee said on Thursday at a Senate hearing that was meant to discuss her nomination.

Sgamma had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Lee, a Republican from Utah, made the announcement at the start of the hearing.

The withdrawal by the former head of the Western Energy Alliance came two days after an email Sgamma wrote in 2021 criticizing President Donald Trump for his role in inciting the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was publicized on X by the watchdog group Documented.

Sgamma issued a statement through Lee’s office that did not give a reason for her withdrawal.

“It was an honor to be nominated by President (Donald) Trump as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, but unfortunately at this time I need to withdraw my nomination,” Sgamma said. “I will continue to support President Trump and fight for his agenda to Unleash American Energy in the private sector.”

Sgamma was the longtime head of the Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies that operate on federal lands, and had been critical of efforts by the administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to set aside public land for conservation instead of opening more acres for energy development.

The Western Energy Alliance declined to comment.

The BLM is a division of the Interior Department that manages 245 million acres (99 million hectares) of public land, primarily in Western states.

The director of the bureau oversees federal leasing programs for oil and gas, mining, grazing and renewable energy development. The BLM is expected to play a key role in implementing Trump’s agenda to maximize domestic energy production and mining and slashing government regulations.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Timothy Gardner and Bill Berkrot)