Former NM Congressman Pearce faces questions about public lands as he seeks federal post

Democratic senators on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee keyed in on Steve Pearce's previous statements about public land selloffs.

By: Patrick Lohmann

Outlets: Source New Mexico

Published: February 25, 2026

Words: 770

Last Updated: 2 weeks ago

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Former Republican New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce faced multiple rounds of questions about his public lands record Wednesday during his first U.S. Senate committee confirmation hearing for director of the federal Bureau of Land Management.

If the Senate confirms him, Pearce, who represented the state’s 2nd Congressional District from 2011 to 2019, would oversee 245 million acres of public lands, including for recreation, cattle grazing and extraction of oil and natural gas.

President Donald Trump …

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