President Donald Trump has nominated Republican former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce to serve as director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the federal agency that oversees more than 245 million acres of public lands across the country, including millions in New Mexico.
Pearce, a longtime conservative and former state Republican Party chairman, would take over an agency that manages nearly half of all federal lands in New Mexico and a significant portion of the state’s oil and natural gas production.
Pearce’s nomination comes months after Trump’s first choice, Kathleen Sgamma, withdrew her name from consideration following controversy over past remarks about the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Trump’s pick of Pearce, a Hobbs native who represented New Mexico’s Second Congressional District from 2003 to 2009 and again from 2011 to 2019, signals an effort to install a seasoned Western lawmaker who has long championed energy development and rural industries.
As a member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, Pearce helped oversee BLM activities. He often criticized what he saw as federal overreach on land and energy policies that, he argued, hurt working families and small businesses in his state.
Supporters of the nomination applauded the move. Wyoming Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis called Pearce’s selection “a major win for the West,” adding, “Steve’s leadership will be invaluable in managing our public lands and wisely stewarding our resources.” The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association also issued a statement supporting Pearce, noting his familiarity with the challenges facing Western ranchers and landowners. “Having represented New Mexico, former Rep. Steve Pearce understands the important role that public lands play across the West,” the group said.
Environmental organizations quickly denounced the appointment. The Denver-based Center for Western Priorities said Pearce “has spent his entire political career blocking Americans’ access to public lands while giving the oil and gas industry free rein to drill and frack anywhere they wanted.”
Conservationists also cited Pearce’s long-standing opposition to the creation of the Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces, which was established in 2014 under President Barack Obama despite Pearce’s objections. During his time in Congress, Pearce argued that such designations hindered economic growth and local control, a position that drew sharp criticism from environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers.
New Mexico’s Democratic senators, Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, expressed skepticism about the nomination. Luján said he had “serious concerns that Mr. Pearce would serve only to advance President Trump’s agenda and roll back the progress we’ve fought to achieve — from strengthening our outdoor recreation economy to protecting our lands and environment.”
Heinrich said he would review the nomination carefully but warned that “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.”
The BLM plays an especially influential role in New Mexico, managing about 13.5 million acres—roughly 17 percent of the state’s total land area—and overseeing major oil and gas operations that provide a significant share of the state’s revenue.
Royalties from federal production have fueled New Mexico’s budget surplus and helped grow the state’s Early Childhood Trust Fund, which now exceeds $10 billion. Pearce, who previously owned an oilfield services company, has long advocated for expanding domestic energy production and reducing federal restrictions on development.
The 78-year-old Pearce has been a fixture in New Mexico politics for decades. In addition to his years in Congress, he served in the state House of Representatives in the 1990s and led the state Republican Party for six years until stepping down last year. Pearce ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2008 against Democrat Tom Udall and for governor in 2018 against Michelle Lujan Grisham.
His nomination to the BLM post will now go before the U.S. Senate for confirmation, though the ongoing federal government shutdown could delay a vote. If confirmed, Pearce would replace outgoing director Tracy Stone-Manning and would become one of the most influential figures shaping federal land policy in the American West.