NEW: A Whopping 75% of Voters in Montana and Idaho Say No to “Selloff Steve” Pearce as Bureau of Land Management Director
Constituents Would View Their Senators More Favorably if They Oppose Pearce
HELENA, MT – Last week, voters in Montana and Idaho finally got to have their say on Donald Trump’s nomination of “Selloff Steve” Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under Doug Burgum. New polling from RABA Research makes clear that Montanans and Idahoans agree with the broad consensus of conservation groups across the country: “Selloff Steve” shouldn’t be within a country mile of our public lands and the BLM.
The finding also showed that senators who stand up for our public lands by opposing Pearce’s nomination will be rewarded by their constituents for doing so. Three-quarters (75%) of respondents in both states oppose Pearce’s nomination, and almost the same percentage of Idaho Republicans would view their U.S. Senators more favorably for taking a stand against him. About two-thirds of Montana voters say the same about their senators. Montana Senator Steve Daines is the only senator in either state who indicated his early support for Pearce, despite being a member of the Senate’s “Stewardship Caucus.”
“Selloff Steve Pearce stands firmly against everything that every public land user holds dear, and if self-proclaimed public land ‘stewards’ like Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy put him in charge of the nation’s largest land managing agency, there may not be many public lands left in public hands,” said Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill. “Voters in Montana and Idaho are shouting it from the rooftops: they want their senators to send Selloff Steve Pearce packing. Hunters and anglers across the country know that his support for selling off public lands and oil and gas business connections creates conflicts that are completely disqualifying.”
The poll found near universal agreement in Idaho and Montana, with almost 100% saying that public lands are important to their state. Montana’s public lands support a thriving outdoor economy, which generates over $7 billion in consumer spending, $286 million in state and local taxes, and supports some 71,000 jobs. According to a report, transferring federal lands in Montana would increase state taxpayers’ burden by $8 billion and send the economy into a tailspin. In Idaho, the outdoor economy generates over $4 billion in economic impact and supports over 37,000 jobs.
O'Neill added, “To all those in the U.S. Senate: this is your public lands litmus test. Will you listen to your constituents, and keep our public lands out of Selloff Steve Pearce’s grubby hands?”
Additional Resources:
What financial entanglements is Steve Pearce hiding?
More than 80 groups oppose Pearce nomination for BLM director
Questions For Senators Who Support Trump BLM Nominee “Sell-Off Steve” Pearce
To speak with Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill, email jayson@focalpointstrategygroup.com.
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