On Wednesday, President Donald Trump nominated former New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The nomination has added fuel to the nation’s long-running fight over how public lands should be managed.
The BLM oversees 245 million acres of surface land and nearly three times that in mineral rights, making its director one of the most influential figures in American conservation. Pearce’s record signals what’s likely ahead: a focus on resource development, local control, and reduced federal restrictions on public land use.
That would also dovetail with the White House’s current plans to undo conservation gains at the BLM. This coming Monday, a public comment period ends on the administration’s plan to rescind the Public Lands Rule, which was finalized by the BLM last year to balance development with conservation. Outdoor Alliance is urging the public to comment and vote against the White House’s plan, which puts “recreation and conservation at risk,” the group said.
So, Who Is Steve Pearce?
Career Snapshot
Pearce, now 78, grew up in Hobbs, N.M. After earning business degrees from New Mexico State and Eastern New Mexico University, he served as a C-130 pilot in Vietnam, flying hundreds of combat missions before returning home to build an oil-field services company with his wife.
He entered state politics in the late 1990s, winning a seat in the New Mexico House of Representatives. In 2003, he took office as the U.S. Representative for New Mexico’s 2nd District, a region heavily dependent on oil, gas, and agriculture. He served multiple terms in Congress, sat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and later chaired the New Mexico Republican Party.
Pearce also launched several unsuccessful bids for higher office. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008, losing to Democrat Tom Udall, and later made an unsuccessful run for governor in 2018 against Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham. Despite those losses, he remained a key figure in New Mexico Republican politics and an outspoken advocate for energy development and rural industries.
A Record Rooted in Resource Development
Pearce has spent much of his career advocating for expanded energy production on federal lands. He has pushed for quicker permitting of oil, gas, and mining projects, and has supported reducing the size of national monuments that he viewed as overly restrictive to local use.
He also opposed the creation and later the expansion of the Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces. Pearce argued that local communities should have more say over land use and that federal designations often come at the expense of economic growth.
“The local population said protect, but also don’t overreach,” said Pearce. “The economy in our rural western states is just choked down by the federal government.”
Those stances earned him praise from ranchers, miners, and industry groups who see him as a reliable defender of rural livelihoods. Conservationists, however, point to a long record of supporting land transfers and weakened environmental protections as evidence that public land values could again take a back seat under his leadership.
“Having represented New Mexico in Congress and the State House for decades, former Rep. Steve Pearce understands the important role that public lands play across the West. Pearce’s experience makes him thoroughly qualified to lead the BLM and tackle the issues federal lands ranchers are facing,” Kaitlynn Glover, the executive director of natural resources at National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said in a statement.
What This Means for Public Lands
The Bureau of Land Management oversees roughly 245 million acres of surface land and about 700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate. Its reach extends across the West, shaping everything from wildlife habitat to hunting access to renewable-energy development.
If confirmed, Pearce will likely steer the agency toward oil and gas leasing, mining, grazing, and other traditional uses. Renewable-energy initiatives and landscape-scale conservation projects could lose traction. The move would align the agency’s direction with Trump’s broader “energy dominance” agenda, which favors industry access over environmental restrictions.
Environmental organizations have already criticized the nomination, calling Pearce’s record incompatible with the agency’s mission to balance multiple uses.
“Steve Pearce’s entire political career has been dedicated to blocking Americans’ access to public lands while giving the oil and gas industry free rein to drill and frack anywhere they wanted. Congress should quickly reject this nomination and tell the president to pay attention to what voters overwhelmingly want — public lands that are protected and managed for our kids and grandkids,” Jennifer Rokala, executive director of Center for Western Priorities, a conservation group, said in a news release.
Why It Matters
The next BLM director will shape how America manages its vast public estate. Decisions made under Pearce’s leadership could influence everything from backcountry access to water rights and wildlife corridors.
For those who depend on public lands for recreation, hunting, and fishing, the nomination raises familiar concerns. The balance between extraction and preservation has always defined the BLM’s identity. Under Pearce, that balance may tip decisively toward development.
His nomination still requires Senate confirmation, where questions about his priorities are certain to take center stage.
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