Senators got their first chance to question Steve Pearce, President Trump’s nominee to run the country’s largest public lands agency, on Wednesday. Several used the hearing to press him on his past support for selling public lands.
Pearce, a former Republican congressman from New Mexico, is Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and oversee its 245 million acres.
Conservation, recreation and veterans groups are among those strongly opposing his nomination. They point to his congressional record supporting oil and gas development and seeking to weaken environmental protections.
Energy and grazing groups, on the other hand, support Pearce. A coalition of oil and gas associations submitted a letter this week praising his nomination.
“Steve Pearce is exactly the kind of experienced, principled leader we need at the helm of the Bureau of Land Management,” said Melissa Simpson, president of the Western Energy Alliance, in a statement. “Growing up and building a small oilfield services business in New Mexico, he understands firsthand how sound BLM policies support both family-wage jobs and responsible development on our nation’s public lands.”
Pearce’s past comments about selling public lands have drawn particular scrutiny since his nomination was announced. The issue has received heightened attention after repeated proposals from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to sell large swaths of federal lands generated significant bipartisan opposition.
During the hearing, several Senators sought assurances from Pearce that he would not pursue public lands sales.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) asked Pearce about a 2012 letter in which he wrote that most federal public land “we do not even need.”
“Now, in your view, is that something you said some time ago and you no longer believe?” Wyden asked.
Pearce said his comments reflected frustration with federal land management, but he did not envision large-scale sales.
“I recognize the importance of the federal lands and support the missions completely,” Pearce said. “I do not believe that we have too much federal land sitting in public hands. I know that it creates great stress in the West to have these lands managed from Washington, that I do know.”
Pearce and Republican committee members emphasized that current federal law does not allow the Bureau of Land Management to sell large amounts of public land. Lee called concerns about the subject “moot.”
However, Sen. Risch (R-Idaho) underscored the political sensitivity of the issue.
“This is a 98% issue in Idaho,” Risch said. “In all my decades of serving the state, I've never received such passionate and unified messages as I have on this particular topic. Idahoans do not want their public lands sold, period, full stop.”
Pearce told Risch he would defer to Congress to identify isolated parcels to sell. Senators also asked Pearce his views on various monuments in the West. Pearce indicated he would support existing protections.
“I very rarely look in the rear-view mirror, and especially looking at this job, and the amount of work ahead of us,” he said.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
