"I'm not so sure that I've changed. I do not believe that we're going to go out and wholesale land from the federal government. Federal law says that we can't do that from the BLM itself."
"Several senators noted that they had heard repeatedly from constituents concerned about Pearce's record of pushing to sell public land - including a widely circulated comment in a letter urging former House Speaker John Boehner to sell public lands to reduce the federal deficit that Pearce co-signed."
"Idahoans do not want their public lands sold, period, full stop. Selling federal public land remains unpopular in the West, where much of the nation's holding is located."
Steve Pearce, a former Republican congressman from New Mexico nominated to lead the Bureau of Land Management, faced scrutiny at his confirmation hearing for his record of promoting federal land sales and opposing public land protections. Environmental, conservation, and hunting groups have opposed his nomination based on this history. During questioning, Pearce refused to disavow his previous positions but claimed he would have limited power to sell federal lands as BLM director, citing legal restrictions. He deflected questions about national monuments and large-scale land sales to other officials. Senators, including some Republicans, expressed constituent concerns about Pearce's advocacy for selling public lands to reduce the federal deficit, referencing a co-signed letter claiming the federal government owns unnecessary western lands.
Read at High Country News
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