FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 4, 2026
Contact:
Tim Whitehouse (240) 247-0299 [email protected]
Senate Should Reject Pearce’s Nomination to Lead Bureau of Land Management
Following today’s committee vote on the nomination of Stevan Pearce to serve as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Tim Whitehouse, Executive Director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), issued the following statement:
“When his nomination reaches the Senate floor, the Senate should vote against Stevan Pearce’s bid to serve as Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
“The Bureau of Land Management oversees 245 million acres of public lands — lands that belong to all Americans and are managed for current and future generations. The individual entrusted with leading this agency must be committed to the rule of law, public safety, conservation, and responsible stewardship. Mr. Pearce is not that person.
“Mr. Pearce is both unqualified and uniquely dangerous to be handed the immense authority that comes with leading BLM. He refused to denounce the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and openly defended the militants’ cause — an act of extremism that threatened public servants and undermined federal authority. Rather than standing firmly for the rule of law, he lent legitimacy to those who sought to intimidate and destabilize it.
“In addition, Mr. Pearce participated in vigilantism by illegally cutting down trees in a national forest, signaling a personal disregard for the very laws and protections he would be sworn to uphold.
“Perhaps most troubling, Mr. Pearce has also urged counties and sheriffs to seize control of public lands and even threaten federal employees with arrest — rhetoric that puts public servants at risk and erodes the foundational principle that our public lands are managed for the benefit of all Americans, not handed over to the highest bidder or the loudest agitator.
“At a moment when our public lands face increasing pressure — from climate change to development to political extremism — the American people deserve a leader who will defend these shared resources, not dismantle them.
“Mr. Pearce’s wanton embrace of extremism and disregard for our nation’s laws make him a direct threat to our public lands and to the public servants who steward them. We urge the Senate to reject his nomination and instead put forward a candidate committed to lawful governance, conservation, and the long-term public interest.”
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Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan watchdog supporting public employees who protect the environment. PEER defends whistleblowers, exposes corruption, and fights for transparency in government.
