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Senate Committee Advances Pearce Nomination to Lead BLM Despite Record of Supporting Public Land Sales

A nominee who tried to sell America's public lands is one step closer to managing them

Media Contact

Andrew Scibetta
Press Secretary
Elizabeth Heyd
Media Associate

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to advance Steve Pearce's nomination to be the next director of the Bureau of Land Management, moving a nominee with a documented record of supporting the sale and transfer of federal public lands to private hands one step closer to overseeing 245 million acres of shared American lands and waters.

Following is a reaction from Sam Goodstein, Managing Director of Federal Affairs at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“Steve Pearce spent years in Congress trying to sell off federal public lands. He co-authored letters urging the transfer of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land out of public ownership. That record doesn't disappear because he has been nominated to run the agency.

“At his confirmation hearing, Pearce couldn't answer basic questions about the administration's own policies. He didn't know why BLM was moving to roll back methane waste rules. He didn't understand the Interior memo freezing solar permitting on public lands. He was unfamiliar with the laws governing both. These aren't obscure policy details. They go to the heart of what BLM does every day.

“Western communities, tribal nations, hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts have made their views clear: they want these lands protected and managed in the public interest, not handed over to the highest bidder. Every Senator still has a chance to listen to them.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).

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