SLVEC joins widespread opposition to Pearce's nomination for BLM Director
- Feb 2
- 3 min read
PRESS RELEASE
In January, SLVEC joined more than 150 other environmental groups in opposing Stevan Pearce's nomination to serve as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This national coalition, assembled by the Conservation Lands Foundation, sent a letter to Senators Mike Lee and Martin Heinrich, who serve as chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The Bureau stewards a vast amount of America’s public lands, overseeing more than 245 million acres of land and 700 million acres of mineral estate. Pearce’s political actions to undermine and privatize these landscapes and their resources are well documented in this collective written opposition.
“Stevan Pearce’s nomination is a clear signal that this administration values fossil fuel profits over the voices and needs of local communities,” said David Feinman, the Vice President of Government Affairs for the Conservation Lands Foundation. “Instead of preserving our public lands for future generations, the administration’s priority is to sell them to the highest bidder, and Pearce will help them achieve that.”
Nominated in November, this is Trump’s second choice for the position. The prior nominee, Kathleen Sgamma, an American Oil Industry Executive, withdrew after her criticism of Trump’s response to the January 6th riots surfaced.
Earlier in the month, SLVEC and 80 other groups signed on to a separate opposition letter to Senate leaders, organized by the Center for Biological Diversity. Pearce served as a Congressman for New Mexico. This letter detailed his efforts to degrade the environment of our downstream neighbors, among other extreme and corrupt actions in the West.
He was a proponent of slashing the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, which protects nearly 500,000 acres near Las Cruces, and other special landscapes across the West. Also, while in his political seat, Pearce rallied against wildlife protections for the endangered dunes sagebrush lizard, the lesser prairie chicken, and even the Mexican grey wolf and its recovery plan.
“Pearce has demonstrated nothing but contempt for our public lands and the plants and animals that depend on them. If confirmed, he would sell off public lands to private corporations in a heartbeat and condemn wildlife to extinction,” said Ashley C. Nunes, a Public Lands Policy Specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Pearce might be the worst possible person to manage our nation’s natural heritage.”
Pearce will continue to be “an unwavering part of President Trump’s anti-environmental and anti-democratic agenda,” the Center’s letter warns.
There is no date scheduled for Pearce’s nomination hearing in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. It is expected that Lee will announce the schedule in the upcoming weeks.
In an unusual step before the committee, both Colorado U.S. Senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, released a statement against Pearce’s nomination, with Bennet labelling the decision as “an insult to Colorado.” SLVEC stood with more than 30 other Colorado organizations to send a written appreciation for their public rejection.
“Senators from every state, especially Western states, need to hear from their constituents about why Pearce is the wrong person for this important role,” Feinman said. “The groundswell of opposition to public lands sell-off last year is proof that when the environmental community stands together, Congress can be moved to change its path forward.”
The San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council supports various levels of opposition efforts to thwart the administration's efforts to privatize public lands.
Contact:
Kaitlyn Fletcher, Communications Manager at communications@slvec.org
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