Steve Pearce’s BLM Nomination Rekindles Otero County’s Long Struggle Over Land, Power, and Public Trust

When President Donald Trump nominated former Congressman Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in November 2025, the announcement rippled through the West—but nowhere did it strike a deeper chord than in Otero County, New Mexico. For residents of this rugged, high-desert region, Pearce’s nomination was not just a political appointment. It was a return to a decades-long battle over who controls the land, whose voices are heard, and what future is being written into the soil.

 A County Shaped by Federal Land

Otero County is no stranger to federal oversight. With more than half its acreage managed by the BLM, U.S. Forest Service, and military installations like Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range, the county has long been a flashpoint in the national debate over public lands. From timber disputes in the Sacramento Mountains to grazing rights in the Tularosa Basin, the tension between local autonomy and federal stewardship has defined the region’s civic identity.

Steve Pearce, who represented New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District for seven terms, was a central figure in that identity. His district encompassed Otero County, and he became a familiar presence in Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, and Tularosa—championing ranchers, veterans, and oilfield workers while railing against what he called “federal overreach.”

Oilfield Roots and a Deregulatory Vision

Pearce’s background as an oilfield entrepreneur shaped his politics. He founded Lea Fishing Tools in Hobbs and brought that extractive ethos to Washington, where he served on the House Natural Resources Committee. His voting record earned him a 4% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters.

His nomination to lead the BLM—a federal agency that oversees 245 million acres of public land—was praised by industry groups like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Western Energy Alliance.

 Echoes of the Timber Wars

Pearce’s nomination reawakens memories of the 1990s timber wars in Otero County, when the U.S. Forest Service halted logging in the Lincoln National Forest to protect the Mexican spotted owl. The move devastated local mills and ignited a populist backlash. Pearce, then a rising political figure, aligned himself with those who saw the federal government as an enemy of rural livelihoods.

That same sentiment fueled Otero County’s 2011 standoff over tree thinning in the Sacramento Mountains and its more recent resistance to federal fire management policies. Pearce’s return to the national stage—this time as a potential steward of the very agency that once clashed with his constituents—feels to many like a full-circle moment.

 A Legacy Still Felt

Even after leaving Congress in 2019 and losing a gubernatorial bid in 2018, Pearce remained a force in New Mexico politics, chairing the state Republican Party until 2024 when he helped anoint Amy Barela as his replacement. As such his influence endures in Otero County’s political culture, where skepticism of federal authority and support for extractive industries remain potent themes.

For some, Pearce’s nomination is a vindication—a chance to “put a Westerner in charge” who understands the land and its people. For others, it’s a warning sign that the hard-won balance between conservation and development may be tipping once again.

Either way, the story of Steve Pearce and Otero County is not just about one man or one agency. It’s about a region still wrestling with the meaning of stewardship, sovereignty, and survival in the American West.

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