Editorial: BLM nominee favors federal land sales -- oh, my!

Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Feb 28, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Donald Trump’s choice to head the Bureau of Land Management faced questioning this week on a variety of issues, but it’s his sensible approach to public land sales and local input that should be of utmost importance to Nevada.

Trump has nominated Steve Pearce, who served seven terms in the House as a Republican representing New Mexico, to lead the BLM. He appeared Wednesday before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in an effort to move his nomination forward.

Several Democrats appeared distressed that Pearce previously called for the federal government to dispose of a portion of its vast real estate portfolio across the Western states. But this should not be controversial. Washington “owns” 85 percent of Nevada’s land. The Las Vegas area in particular is artificially constrained by a lack of privately held property, resulting in a housing shortage and higher housing costs. Gov. Joe Lombardo has urged Congress to make more land available for development.

But radical greens rabidly oppose this concept and whip up public support by implying that those who advocate for limited sales of non-sensitive public lands are actually seeking to put national treasures such as Yellowstone or Yosemite on the auction block to enrich rapacious developers. This is a cynical bait-and-switch.

In fact, Nevada has already served as ground zero for the land-sale concept. The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act has over the past 28 years allowed the BLM to sell thousands of acres of public land in the Las Vegas area for private development. Its success has led Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, to introduce a similar bill that would expand the boundaries of the 1998 law. It would hardly be a environmental disaster for the BLM to control only 82 percent of the state’s property rather than its current 85 percent.

At any rate, Pearce would have no authority as BLM director to sell wide swaths of federal land without congressional consent.

The nominee also had positive things to say about the need for federal cooperation with local interests, long a point of contention in the region. Pearce for 14 years represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, which is heavily rural and includes the entire southwest portion of the state.

“I think one of the more important elements of any plan is local input,” he told the committee, Politico reported. “Custom and culture is known by the people who live in an area, very seldom known by the people in Washington, and that is a strong commitment that I make.” Amen.

In general, Congress should grant the president leeway when it comes to selecting agency chiefs. At this point, Pearce has done nothing that should prevent the Senate from supporting his nomination.