Last week, President Trump nominated former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce to head the Bureau of Land Management to oversee 245 million acres of federal lands.
Pearce, who served New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District from 2003 to 2009 and again from 2011 to 2019, is 78 years old and is best known for opposing the expansion of our national monuments and advocating for oil and gas drilling on federal lands, both priorities of the President.
Pearce’s nomination immediately came under fire from environmental groups. The Center for Western Priorities stated that Pearce’s lifetime voting score was at 4 percent on their issues – a good reason Trump nominated him.
Pearce unsuccessfully ran for New Mexico governor in 2018, and lost to Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham, the state’s current governor who unfortunately endorsed Biden’s 30×30 scheme and quickly expanded it by executive order to 50×50.
