Former BLM Director Says Steve Pearce’s Confirmation Is Good News For Wyoming

The U.S. Senate confirmed former New Mexico congressman Steve Pearce as director of the Bureau of Land Management in a 46-43 vote earlier this week. For Wyoming, where nearly half the land is federally owned and battles over grazing, drilling, conservation, and recreation often define the economy and culture, Pearce’s appointment signals a potential course correction after years of tension between Western land users and federal land managers.

“What the BLM director decides determines the fate of Wyoming with regard to its ability to use the land,” said William Perry Pendley, who served as acting BLM director during Trump’s first administration. In Sweetwater County alone, roughly 74% of the land is managed by the federal government. From oil rigs and cattle allotments to antelope habitat and off-road trails, decisions made inside the BLM ripple across nearly every corner of Wyoming life.