Sierra Club Statement on Confirmation Hearing on Nomination of Steve Pearce to Lead BLM - CleanTechnica

The article reports on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources' confirmation hearing for Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Pearce, a former U.S. Representative known for supporting the sale of federal public lands to private interests and opposing national monuments, faced tough questions regarding his record. The BLM oversees approximately 245 million acres of public surface land and 700 million acres of subsurface mineral rights. Pearce’s nomination follows the withdrawal of Trump’s first nominee, Kathleen Sgamma, amid controversy over her emails criticizing Trump’s actions during the January 6 Capitol Riot. The Sierra Club, through Athan Manuel, director of its Lands Protection Program, strongly opposed Pearce’s nomination, highlighting his history of advocating for the mass sell-off of public lands—a move that the Congressional GOP unsuccessfully attempted recently. Manuel emphasized that such policies threaten the preservation of public lands for future generations and urged the Senate to reject Pearce’s nomination in line