President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated former New Mexico Congressman and former Republican Party Chair Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management, selecting a longtime public lands critic to oversee 245 million acres of federal property.
Pearce, 78, who last held public office in 2018, has opposed expanding national monuments and has advocated for drilling in Otero Mesa, an ecologically sensitive area in New Mexico. The nomination has been sent to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for review.
BLM manages approximately 13.5 million acres of public land in New Mexico.
The former congressman served in the U.S. House representing New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District from 2003 to 2009 and again from 2011 to 2019. He was a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, which describes itself as supporting limited government and constitutional principles.
Pearce’s environmental record drew immediate criticism from conservation groups. The Center for Western Priorities said Pearce received a lifetime score of 4% from the League of Conservation Voters during his seven congressional terms, according to a statement from the organization’s Executive Director Jennifer Rokala.
“Steve Pearce’s nomination is even more proof that President Trump and Interior Secretary Burgum are determined to undermine, sell out, and eventually sell off America’s public lands,” Rokala said in the statement.
The Center for American Progress previously identified Pearce as a founding member of what it called an “Anti-Parks Caucus,” according to the Center for Western Priorities. In 2017, Pearce voted against the National Monument Creation and Protection Act, which allows presidents to designate federal lands as national monuments.
Pearce opposed the creation of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in his own congressional district, though the monument is now considered an economic driver for Las Cruces, according to the Center for Western Priorities.
The Vietnam War veteran ran unsuccessfully for New Mexico governor in 2018, losing to Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham, who currently holds the office.
Pearce most recently served as chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico before stepping down in December 2024.
The nomination comes after former BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning resigned before Trump took office in January. The White House announced Pearce’s nomination along with two other appointments Wednesday.