Numerous conservation groups and elected officials are calling on the U.S. Senate to reject President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego this week said he won’t support former New Mexico Republican Congressman Steve Pearce’s nomination.
He instead called for BLM leadership that’ll “protect public access, respect tribal sovereignty, and understand that these lands are not for sale.
“Public lands, like the Grand Canyon are not just places to escape,” said Gallego. “They are essential for the economy, supporting a $21 billion outdoor recreation industry and thousands of jobs, and for many Tribal communities, they are sacred.”
On Wednesday the Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved Pearce’s nomination 11-9 along party lines. It now heads to the full Senate.
New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, the committee’s ranking member, also opposed the nomination.
“While Congressman Pearce has said that his past actions opposing national monument designations and calling for public land selloffs are in his rearview mirror, they remain very much in the memory of every New Mexican who faced his opposition to protecting the lands that they cherish,” said Heinrich. “Like my constituents, I cannot ignore Congressman Pearce’s record and for these reasons, I will be voting ‘no’ on his nomination.”
As a member of the U.S. House from 2011 to 2019 Pearce opposed the designation of New Mexico’s Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. And in 2012 he proposed selling off some federal lands to avoid tax hikes.
Pearce vowed not to recommend rolling back monument designations during testimony last week.
Still, the Sierra Club called Pearce’s nomination “dangerous.”
“Steve Pearce has repeatedly demonstrated his disregard for public lands … If (he) is allowed to lead the BLM, the land that makes Arizona special—our beautiful national monuments, lands that carry immense significance to Native people in our state—will be under threat,” said Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter.
The Wilderness Society, Center for Western Priorities, Arizona Trail Association and other conservation and recreation groups also urged Senators to reject him for the role.
Trump initially nominated Pearce in November. But he was rejected by the Senate amid resistance from conservation groups and Democrats.
The BLM manages 12 million acres in Arizona and almost 250 million acres nationwide.
