Sierra Club Oregon Chapter Statement on Senate Committee Vote to Advance Nomination of Steve Pearce as BLM Director

PORTLAND, Ore. - Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced Donald Trump's nomination of Steve Pearce to run the Bureau of Land Management.

By a party-line vote of 11-9, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources moved Pearce's nomination to a vote by the full Senate. Oregon's Senator Ron Wyden, a committee member, voted against the nomination.

Pearce's nomination has been controversial due to his previous support for selling off federal public lands to private interests and opposition to national monuments. During his time in Congress, Pearce supported expanding oil and gas drilling on federal public lands and led the charge to shrink the size of existing national monuments. BLM manages approximately 245 million acres of public surface land and an additional 700 million acres of subsurface mineral rights. Over 15.7 million acres of public lands across Oregon may be at risk if Pearce is confirmed.

The Sierra Club, along with more than 20 other Oregon-based organizations, previously delivered a letterto Senators Wyden and Merkley to oppose Pearce's nomination. In states across the West, recent polls have also shown overwhelming opposition to his nomination - more information available here.

In response, Damon Motz-Storey, Oregon Chapter Director at Sierra Club, released the following statement:

"Giving Steve Pearce control of the Bureau of Land Management is a horrifying prospect for our beloved public lands. We are grateful Senator Wyden recognizes what is at stake for Oregon and, accordingly, voted against nominating Pearce to run the BLM. Public lands play a vital part in our lives, such as outdoor adventures with our families, fishing with friends, or simply having clean water to drink; we cannot put our public lands in the hands of someone who would put that all at risk for the sake of profit. The Senate must reject this nomination to ensure these marvelous places remain protected for future generations."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.