Steve Pearce expected to face questions over public land views in Senate confirmation hearing

SANTA FE — Former New Mexico congressman Steve Pearce's appointment to lead the nation's largest public lands agency will come under the spotlight on Capitol Hill this week.

Pearce, who was appointed in November by President Donald Trump to lead the federal Bureau of Land Management, is one of three nominees set to appear before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Wednesday for a confirmation hearing.

While a vote is not expected to take place until a later date, the hearing could mark a key step toward Pearce taking the reins of the BLM, which oversees roughly 245 million acres of public lands nationwide.

If Pearce's nomination is approved by the committee, it would then advance to the full Senate for a final vote that would be scheduled by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican.

But Pearce is expected to face sharp questions from Democratic senators after environmental groups across the western United States expressed fierce opposition to his appointment.

"Senators who support this nomination will share responsibility for the consequences of placing a long-time public lands sell-off advocate in charge of America’s largest land management agency," Michael Carroll, the BLM campaign director at the Wilderness Society, said this week. "Future generations are counting on them to choose a better steward of their heritage."

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., is the Senate energy committee's ranking member and previously indicated he would scrutinize Pearce's record on public lands issues while considering his appointment.

"We need a person in this position who will be a good steward of our public lands for all of us, not divvy them out as political favors," Heinrich said at the time of Pearce's appointment.

A conservative Republican, Pearce served two separate stints in the U.S. House. Specifically, he held the southern New Mexico-based 2nd Congressional District seat from 2003 to 2009, then again from 2011 until 2019.

After losing in the 2018 governor’s race against Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham, Pearce was elected as state Republican Party chairman. He held that position for six years before stepping down at the end of 2024.

In recent years, Pearce has staunchly supported Trump while opposing the designation of additional public lands such as the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in southern New Mexico.

The owner of an oilfield services company, Pearce said in a December letter to a federal ethics administrator that he would step down from his role as president and board member of Trinity Industries upon confirmation. But his wife would continue to operate the business and serve as president.

Pearce also said he would resign his position as managing member for two other Hobbs-based companies that he jointly owns with his wife.

If Pearce is confirmed as BLM director, he could have an outsized impact on his home state. The agency manages about half of all federal land in New Mexico, or about 17.3% of the state’s total land area. The state also receives royalties from oil and natural gas drilling on BLM land that make up a significant part of the state’s total revenue mix.

Dan Boyd covers state government and politics for the Journal in Santa Fe. Follow him on X at @DanBoydNM or reach him via email at dboyd@abqjournal.com.