By Murphy Woodhouse, Boise State Public Radio News
A group of community officials from Colorado, New Mexico, and Idaho are raising concerns about the Trump administration's nominee to head the Bureau of Land Management. The Department of Interior agency oversees some 245 million acres, almost entirely in the West.
In early November, President Donald Trump first nominated former Republican New Mexico Congressman and oil industry businessman Stevan Pearce to direct the BLM. But that nomination was rejected after opposition from Senate Democrats, according to Politico. The White House renominated him earlier this month.
"President Trump was elected with an overwhelming mandate to 'Drill, Baby, Drill' and unleash America's energy potential," a White House spokesperson told Inside Climate News after Pearce's initial nomination. "It's totally logical that his nominees would align with the agenda the President was elected to implement and have a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter."
Pearce co-founded an oil and natural gas drilling company with his wife that he sold in the early 2000s, but he continues to earn significant income from the industry, according to Politico. In an ethics agreement reviewed by the news outlet, Pearce committed to "not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter in which I know that I have a financial interest" without a written waiver.
President Trump's selection of Pearce has provoked a backlash from many environmental groups and local Western officials, who point to his record of supporting public land sales and the oil and gas industry.
Pearce co-sponsored 2016 legislation that could have led to public land sales. And in a 2012 letter, then-Rep. Pearce called for increasing energy production on federal lands, and claimed that "divesting the federal government of its vast land holdings could pay down the deficit and reduce spending."
"The federal government owns roughly 650 million acres of land, or 1/3 of the entire landmass of our country," Pearce and fellow former Republican Congressman – Rob Bishop of Utah – continued in the letter. "Over 90% of this land is located in the western states and most of it we do not even need."
Gina Lucrezi, a commissioner in rural Chaffee County, Colorado, spoke in opposition to Pearce's confirmation at a virtual event organized by several environmental groups this week. She said much of her county's economy is based on public lands.
"The threat of Stephen Pearce coming in and potentially selling off this land would be catastrophic to what we do here and our existence in Chaffee County," she said.
Eagle County, Colorado Commissioner Tom Boyd also spoke during the event.
"We've been hunting the same Colorado public lands for generations," he said. "And I wonder, will my sons have to pay a billionaire to access the same lands in the future, all because the federal government sold it so they could do a one time payoff of a fraction of the debt?"
Blaine County, Idaho Commissioner Angenie McCleary echoed concerns over Pearce's allegiances in a release from the Mountain Pact, one of the advocacy groups that organized the virtual event.
"Steve Pearce's record speaks for itself: he has consistently prioritized the interests of the oil and gas industry over the preservation of our shared heritage and public spaces," she said.
Pearce did not respond to an email request for comment on criticisms of his nomination.
"This administration, under President Donald J. Trump, is comprised of the most qualified, accomplished, and mission-driven individuals ever assembled in our nation's history, and Steve Pearce exemplifies that commitment to excellence," the Department of the Interior said this week in a statement reported by Politico.
In November, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association praised Pearce's nomination.
"Having represented New Mexico in Congress and the State House for decades, former Rep. Steve Pearce understands the important role that public lands play across the West," the group said.
The BLM does not currently have a permanent director, and Principal Deputy Director Bill Groffy is currently serving as its acting head, according to the agency. The bureau never had a Senate-confirmed leader during Trump's first term, Politico reports, and his first pick this term abruptly withdrew after comments she made that were critical of Trump and the violent Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol were revealed.
Groups critical of Pearce's nomination said his nomination hearing could come as soon as next week, though the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has yet to schedule it.
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.
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