President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management is meeting individually with members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ahead of a still-unscheduled confirmation hearing.
Steve Pearce, whom Trump nominated for BLM director nearly three months ago, is a former seven-term Republican congressman from New Mexico who has drawn flak from some Democrats and conservation groups over his voting record in Congress and his close financial ties to the oil and gas industry.
The Interior Department has requested the one-on-one meetings — which are common among nominees for Senate-confirmed posts — according to staffers for two committee members who were granted anonymity so that they could talk freely.
One of the meeting requests from Interior states that Pearce “would appreciate the opportunity to meet you at your earliest convenience,” and there are individual meetings with Pearce starting this week.
