Dear Friend,
I have known Congressman Pearce a long time. And while I appreciate his testimony before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week, I cannot in good faith vote to advance his nomination to serve as our Bureau of Land Management Director.
When Congressman Pearce testified before our Committee, he promised that he would not recommend rolling back national monument designations, which is extremely important to me; and he acknowledged that the BLM cannot conduct large-scale sell-offs of public lands under existing law, which is correct. I intend to hold him to these statements.
But I also know that commitments to follow the law by prior nominees have proven unreliable. And while Congressman Pearce has said that his past actions opposing national monument designations and calling for public land sell-offs are in his rearview mirror, they remain in the memory of every New Mexican who faced his opposition in order to protect the lands they cherish.
Like my constituents, I cannot ignore Congressman Pearce’s record. For these reasons, I will be voting ‘no’ on his nomination.
Sincerely,
MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator