Bureau of Land Management Director Nominee Steve Pearce Heard in Senate Committee
Washington DC - On Tuesday, February 25, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing to consider the nomination of former Congressman Steve Pearce to serve as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This agency administers 245 million acres of national public lands, including 14.9 million acres in California, 13.5 million acres in New Mexico, 12.1 million acres in Arizona, 8.35 million acres in Colorado, and 22.8 million acres in Utah. These lands encompass numerous national monuments, areas of cultural, ecological, and historical significance, and other federal recreational lands. Pearce attended the hearing apparently unprepared to respond to critical questions pertaining to regulations enforced by the BLM and unwilling to disavow his long supported efforts to sell off public lands, which are opposed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority.
In response, GreenLatinos urged Senators to oppose his nomination and issues the following statements:
“New Mexico is unfortunately very familiar with how massively unqualified Mr. Pearce is to steward public lands under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). He has personally made millions of dollars from questionable oil and gas lease sales, has shown utter disregard for the law by illegally cutting trees in the Lincoln National Forest, and openly advocates to sell public lands to extractive corporate interests. Mr. Pearce is an imminent danger to our environment, preservation of public lands, and the multifaceted mission of the BLM,” said Carlos Matutes, Albuquerque, NM-based New Mexico State Director for GreenLatinos.
“On Chuckwalla National Monument, Pearce missed the bullseye. When asked to meet with the Chuckwalla Inter-Tribal Commission, Pearce recalled becoming a voice for Tribes in DC. This is an inappropriate and incorrect view of the United States’ government-to-government relationship with sovereign tribal nations. Mr. Pearce legally is not, nor would anyone want him to be, a voice for another sovereign nation. GreenLatinos unequivocally supports the Inter-Tribal Commission’s relationships with Chuckwalla. We thank Senator Padilla for his compromiso to kinship values with the Commission members and applaud Senator Gallego for asking assurance for honoring Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, ” said Pedro Hernández, Fresno, CA-based California State Program Director for GreenLatinos.
“Polluter Pearce is exceeding the expectations that come with this name. Mr. Pearce claimed unfamiliarity with the broadly supported Methane Waste Prevention Rule administered by the agency he is nominated to lead because he is unwilling to admit that pollution is his prerogative. The BLM Director should deliver unequivocal certainty that this rule will be abided by,” said Meisei Gonzalez, Salt Lake City, UT-based Climate Justice and Clean Air Advocate for GreenLatinos.
“When pressed on his past statements supporting the sale of public lands, Steve Pearce dicho, ‘I’m not so sure that I’ve changed.’ It is clear that he would follow the lead of the foremost public land sell-off proponent, Senator Mike Lee. Mr. Pearce should have said, loudly and clearly, that he does not support the sale or transfer of public lands. He did not. As Senator John Hickenlooper remarked, ‘If someone reveals themself, believe them.’ If the pro-public land majority was expecting Mr. Pearce to soften their concerns about his nominations, today’s hearing was a failure,” said Ean Thomas Tafoya, Denver, CO-based Vice President of State Programs for GreenLatinos.
“Steve Pearce is a threat to Hispanic and Latino community traditions of cooking carne asada with loved ones, seasonal hunting, and telling stories around the campfire on public lands. Senator Ruben Gallego articulated the danger of selling off public lands: nearby, quality places for working-class people to go fishing, hunting, and camping are being fenced off as private second- and third-home estates for the wealthiest. This threat is aided by the Department of the Interior’s moves to prevent immigrants and the 22% of Americans who speak a language other than English at home from accessing federal recreational lands. We deserve a BLM Director who will act with the responsibility to deliver public land access to our children, great-grandchildren, and generations to come; Steve Pearce is not that person,” said Olivia Juarez, Salt Lake City, UT-based Public Land Program Director for GreenLatinos.
###
GreenLatinos (NOTE: GreenLatinos is ONE WORD) convenes an active comunidad of environmental, conservation, and climate justice leaders rooted in the power and wisdom of our culture, united to uplift our priorities, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.
