Forest management, public lands, wildfire mitigation and public access are a few of the topics highlighted during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for Stevan Pearce, current nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management and former U.S. representative for New Mexico.
“BLM manages 1.3 million acres of forestland in Montana and the Dakotas. Yet simple projects get bogged down in red tape and, sadly, endless litigation,” said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT). “However, we are making progress in helping to remedy that.”
Daines supports the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA), which is a set of reforms that simplify and expedite environmental reviews, promote collaboration in forest management, encourage state-of-the-art science and technologies for federal land managers, and deter frivolous litigation, including the reversal of the 9th Circuit Court’s “Cottonwood decision.”
“In New Mexico in my district, we had a forest of about a million acres. They were cleaning up and taking out the fuels from about 500 acres a year. With a million acres, you’d never get to the end,” said Pearce. “Large-scale projects of tens of thousands of acres instead of hundreds of acres is something I visualize.”
The U.S. House passed FOFA in early 2025 by a bipartisan vote of 279 to 141. Nine months later, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry passed it 18-to-5, but it is yet to go before the full Senate.
Pearce also downplayed talk of any widespread sale or transfer of public land. Both Republican and Democrat senators pressed him on the issue, led by ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Pearce referenced policy set in the Federal Lands Policy Management Act (FLPMA) as a guide.
When asked about using the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to expand public access for hunting and fishing, Pearce agreed unequivocally.
Hunt 2 Conserve and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation are strong proponents of FOFA, LWCF and active forest management.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
(Photo credit: Bureau of Land Management)
