Local environmentalists oppose Bureau of Land Management Director nominee

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Environmental groups are voicing concerns over the Trump administration's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management.

Steve Pearce is a former representative from New Mexico and was nominated by President Trump late last year. A nomination hearing in the Senate took place early Wednesday morning, with a vote expected to take place within the next couple of weeks.

Cactus to Cloud Institute, a local nonprofit, has taken to social media to encourage followers to contact their local representatives to oppose his nomination.

In a post to Instagram, the group called Pearce an opponent of public lands, writing in part:

"The administration has nominated former New Mexico Representative and longtime public lands opponent Steve Pearce, aka Sell off Steve, as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director. Their intention could not be clearer: they are trying to accelerate the sell-off of 245 million acres of YOUR public lands."

News Channel 3 also reached out to local representatives Raul Ruiz and Ken Calvert to learn more about what they've heard from constituents, and to see if they have an opinion on Pearce's nomination. Neither representative will be involved in Pearce's nomination, which will be handled in the Senate.

Stay with us to hear more of their thoughts and to learn more about Pearce's history with public lands.