The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of hospitality executive Scott Socha to lead the National Park Service. Socha, the president of parks and resorts for Delaware North, was nominated to the role of NPS director in February. His nomination was formally withdrawn Monday. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement to E&E News, Socha said he had withdrawn his nomination for “personal reasons.” Socha faced strong opposition from environmental and conservation groups over his experience in the private sector. Delaware North operates lodging and retail outposts in multiple national parks, including Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon. Critics of his nomination said Socha was unqualified to manage the parks and his ties to a contractor represented a conflict of interest. Groups including Save Our Parks, the Association of National Park Rangers and the Center for Western Priorities raised concerns that Socha’s resumé reflected a larger desire by the Trump administration to privatize the national parks system. On Tuesday, the groups celebrated the news of his nomination’s withdrawal. “Our parks deserve far better than someone who spent his entire career trying to privatize them,” Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss said in a statement. “President Trump should have no problem finding a qualified leader inside NPS… unless they’ve all taken Doug Burgum’s latest buyout offer.” During the first Trump administration, the NPS was never led by a Senate-confirmed director.
