Senators on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Sen. Mike Lee, voted along party lines to advance President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Steve Pearce, a former Republican congressman from New Mexico, would next need to clear a vote in the full Senate in the coming weeks to be confirmed.
Pearce's supporters include energy and grazing groups. A coalition of oil and gas associations praised his nomination.
He has faced intense scrutiny from environmentalists, some veterans and Democrats. During an end of February hearing, Pearce was asked about his previous advocacy for the sale of public lands. He indicated that he would not be in favor of such sales.
"I recognize the importance of the federal lands and support the missions completely," Pearce told the committee. "I do not believe that we have too much federal land sitting in public hands. I know that it creates great stress in the West to have these lands managed from Washington, that I do know."
Ahead of the vote, Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico released a statement saying he did not trust Pearce's answer and would oppose his nomination to oversee 245 million acres of federal lands.
"While Congressman Pearce has said that his past actions opposing national monument designations and calling for public land sell-offs are in his rearview mirror, they remain in the memory of every New Mexican who faced his opposition in order to protect the lands they cherish," Heinrich wrote. "Like my constituents, I cannot ignore Congressman Pearce's record."
Heinrich also noted that Pearce previously opposed a national monument designation in New Mexico and advocated for downsizing national monuments.
Pearce, Chair Lee said, along with the other nominees that the committee considered, are prepared "to work with local communities when administering our public lands under the multiple use and sustained yield mandate that Congress enacted in 1976."
The committee voted 11-9 to send Pearce's nomination along. Sen. Jim Risch, an Idaho Republican, voted to support Pearce after pressing the nominee last week about the importance of public lands to his constituents.
"As I explained to you, this is a 98% issue in Idaho," Risch told Pearce. "In all my decades of serving the state, I have never received such passionate, unified messages as I have on this particular topic. Idahoans do not want their public lands sold. Period. Full stop. Public lands are really part of us and are sacred to us."
After the hearing, Risch released a statement saying he "received assurances" from Pearce that "he has no plans to sell off Idaho's public lands."
Mountain West News Bureau's Michael de Yoanna and KUER's Jim Hill contributed to this story.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
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