FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2026
Contact: Kris Deutschman, kris(@)conservationlands.org
LAS CRUCES, NM / WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a letter submitted today to members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, local residents, outdoor enthusiasts, and community leaders living adjacent to public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are calling on Congress to reject the nomination of Stevan Pearce for BLM Director. Mr. Pearce’s record in Congress, including his public support for selling off America’s public lands, his conflicts of interest with the oil and gas industry, and his efforts to undermine national monuments and the Antiquities Act, demonstrates that he is the wrong candidate to lead this complex multiple-use agency.
The opposition from more than 150 organizations that signed the letter comes as a direct response to Mr. Pearce’s long-standing advocacy for selling off federal public lands and his efforts to dismantle protections for national monuments.
A Record of Selling Out, Not Stewardship
The organizations point to Mr. Pearce’s vocal support for privatizing public lands as a primary disqualifier. As early as 2012, Mr. Pearce stated his intent to “reverse this trend of public ownership,” (1) a stance that stands directly opposed to BLM’s mandate to manage public lands for multiple-uses, including conservation.
“The Director of the BLM is tasked to be a neutral arbiter of our shared resources,” said Chris Hill, CEO of the nonpartisan, national nonprofit Conservation Lands Foundation. “You cannot entrust the stewardship of our public lands to someone who has spent his career trying to sell them to the highest bidder. This isn’t just a policy disagreement; it’s a direct violation of the public trust and the responsibility of the agency,” said Hill.
“We need a leader who actually understands, believes and implements the full scope of the BLM’s multi-use charter, which includes managing conservation as equal to all other uses of the lands. We need a leader who understands the importance of stewarding our public lands and we urge the Senate to listen to the people who actually live on the doorstep of these lands and reject this nomination unequivocally,” said Hill.
Conflicts of Interest and Industry Bias
The organizations point to Mr. Pearce’s history as the former owner of an oilfield services company as an inherent conflict of interest that favors unfettered drilling and fracking over the needs of local communities and the outdoor recreation economy, which contributes more to the U.S. GDP than the extraction industries and pumps more than $350 million into the economy every day. (2)
A Threat to National Monuments
Mr. Pearce’s record in his home state of New Mexico remains a central point of concern. “As a Congressman representing Las Cruces, New Mexico, he petitioned the Interior Secretary to reduce the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument by a staggering 88 percent, basically ignoring overwhelming local support and the monument’s proven role as a significant economic driver for the region,” said Patrick Nolan, executive director of Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument and Las Cruces resident.
“And his co-sponsorship of legislation to weaken the Antiquities Act signals a broader intent to strip protections from America’s most culturally and scientifically significant landscapes,” said Nolan.
Congress Needs to Vote No on Pearce
“Under Pearce’s leadership, the country can expect BLM’s focus will be narrowed to favor extractive industries exclusively, effectively: limiting public access for hunting, fishing, and hiking; threatening local economies that rely on conservation and tourism; prioritizing short-term profit over the health of the land for future generations,” said Chris Hill.
“The nomination is viewed by local stakeholders as a clear signal that the current administration intends to prioritize fossil fuel interests over the people who live, work, and recreate on these lands,” said Hill.
About the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The BLM manages one in every 10 acres of land in the United States and approximately 30 percent of the nation’s minerals. These lands are managed for a variety of uses, including energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting, while also ensuring the conservation of the country’s remaining natural, historical, and cultural resources.
