America’s Public Lands Face Their Biggest Test Yet in Trump’s BLM Nominee: Sell Off Steve Pearce
Across the United States of America, there is near universal, bipartisan support for public lands and keeping those lands in public hands. Our country’s federally-managed public lands—almost 30 percent of all American land—and its importance to our people, businesses, economy, and future is running headlong into the Trump administration’s and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s agenda to sell them off. Public lands are already a quarter-trillion-dollar economic boon for the country, but if Trump and Burgum have their way, big corporations and the ultra-wealthy will be the only ones reaping the benefits.
The latest twist in the fight over public lands is Trump’s nominee to head the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Steve Pearce. The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public lands and over 700 million acres of publicly-owned mineral rights under a multiple-use congressional mandate to manage public lands for a combination of balanced and diverse uses while ensuring the long-term health and productivity of the land.
Public land advocates are universally aligned in opposing “Sell-off Steve” Pearce’s nomination to lead the BLM. Despite especially strong opposition to Pearce’s nomination across our Western states, including in New Mexico and Montana, many Republican senators have indicated their early support for this conflicted nominee. Bipartisan Stewardship Caucus member Montana Senior Senator Steve Daines, who sits on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced that he thought Pearce was a ‘great pick’ after working to exempt his state from the sell-off proposal introduced by anti-public lands Utah Senator Mike Lee.
“Sell-off Steve” Pearce is a 78-year-old retired former Republican congressional representative from New Mexico. Pearce, who is notoriously hellbent on selling off public lands, vowed to ‘reverse this trend of public ownership of lands’ and believes that ‘we do not even need’ most of America’s public lands. He championed numerous sell off efforts during his tenure in the House of Representatives, including being a lead sponsor of legislation that would have weaponized public lands within 100 miles of the border. That bill has now morphed into anti-public lands Senator Mike Lee’s recent spy and surveillance legislation.
Pearce is also an electoral loser in his home state, having been repeatedly rejected by New Mexico voters, losing two statewide elections by double-digits. In fact, some of the harshest criticism for this public land sell off zealot has come from a former Republican in New Mexico deeply familiar with Pearce. Patrick Brenner recently penned a piece for the Washington Post warning that the job of BLM Director demands competence, credibility and balance. Pearce, he implies, boasts none of those qualities. Under Pearce’s leadership, the New Mexico Republican Party was decimated and relegated to total irrelevance. With Pearce perched atop the BLM, the result will be the same.
“Sell-off Steve” Pearce might be the right choice for Donald Trump and Doug Burgum’s anti-public lands agenda, but he’s the wrong choice for the Bureau of Land Management and America’s public lands. U.S. Senators from across the political spectrum should join in calling on Sell Off Steve Pearce’s nomination to be withdrawn.
Public Land Voices Opposing Sell Off Steve Pearce
“MWF is deeply concerned with the Administration's choice to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
“Former Congressman Steve Pearce has a troubling and clear anti-public lands record. Pearce has advocated to sell off public lands, to reduce or eliminate conservation protections, and has cozied up with oil and gas development whenever possible, unsurprising considering his business ties to the industry.
“The BLM is supposed to manage our public lands for the benefit of all Americans, and Pearce is clearly the wrong pick for this important role.
“Despite Senator Daines already offering his support for Pearce, and calling him "a great pick," MWF calls on Montana's Senators Daines and Sheehy—who have both professed to favor keeping public lands in public hands—to reject this nomination.”
Wild Montana Calls on Daines, MT Delegation to Reject Pearce’s BLM Nomination:
“We cannot afford to hand the keys to 245 million acres of our public lands over to someone who has spent his career trying to auction them off to the highest bidder. Steve Pearce’s record is crystal clear: he believes public lands should be privatized for billionaires’ benefit, not protected for the people’s.
“Sen. Daines, despite being a member of the Senate Stewardship Caucus, has publicly supported Pearce’s nomination. The senator, along with the rest of Montana’s delegation, has sworn to keep public lands in public hands. He joined congressional caucuses based on that promise. If he doesn’t lead the fight to reject Pearce’s confirmation, he’ll betray the people they represent and the public-land values he claims to hold.”
Wilderness Society BLM nominee Steve Pearce’s record shows hardline anti-public lands positions:
“Just a few months ago, a bipartisan outcry confirmed once again that Americans love public lands and deeply value the freedom they provide to hunt, fish and recreate, forcing the Senate to abandon an effort to sell off our public lands. And yet, the Trump administration now wants the Senate to vote for someone to lead the nation’s largest public land agency who supports selling off our public lands. The public deserves better. Future generations deserve better. The Senate needs to stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who value public lands and reject Steve Pearce’s nomination.”
“Steve Pearce’s nomination is even more proof that President Trump and Interior Secretary Burgum are determined to undermine, sell out, and eventually sell off America’s public lands. Pearce’s entire political career has been dedicated to blocking Americans’ access to public lands while giving the oil and gas industry free rein to drill and frack anywhere they wanted.
“Congress should quickly reject this nomination and tell the president to pay attention to what voters overwhelmingly want—public lands that are protected and managed for our kids and grandkids. Westerners spoke with one voice earlier this year when Senator Mike Lee tried to sell off our public lands. Nominating Steve Pearce to run the BLM shows that President Trump wasn’t listening.”
“When it comes to Montana’s public lands, Senator Steve Daines is talking out of both sides of his mouth. One day, he says he wants to keep public lands public – the next day he’s endorsing a nominee for BLM Director who’s spent a career working to sell out America’s public lands. It’s high time for Senator Daines to put Montana’s public lands above party politics. Anti-public land zealots like Steve Pearce belong in a retirement community back in New Mexico, not in a position to help Mike Lee and Doug Burgum dismantle America’s public land.
“If Daines stands by his support of Steve Pearce, dutifully cheering on this sell off nominee to lead America’s largest land managing bureau, his public lands supporter mask is completely off. Any member of the Montana congressional delegation and any member of the United States Senate who truly cares about our public lands, natural heritage, and birthright, must publicly reject Pearce’s nomination to lead the BLM, full stop.”
Additional Background:
Montana’s Public Lands Birthright Under Threat from Sell Off Steve’s Nomination
Daines must reject radical nominee who supports selling public lands
Conservation Leaders Unite to Oppose Steve Pearce BLM Nomination
Roosevelt Weeps, Republicans Cheer - The Worst Week In History for America's Public Lands
He Once Pushed to Divest Federal Lands. Now He's Trump's BLM Nominee.
Former New Mexico Congressman (and Supporter of Public-Land Transfers) Picked to Lead the BLM)
Trump's pick to manage 245M acres notoriously hellbent on selling public lands
Conservation Groups Blast Trump’s Latest Choice to Head Up the Bureau of Land Management
