Public lands are one of the few issues that truly unite Montanans. Across party lines, regions, and generations, we share a deep commitment to keeping the places where we hunt, fish, ranch, and recreate in public hands. That shared value is now being tested in Washington, D.C., and Montanans are speaking with uncommon clarity.
A new bipartisan poll conducted by RABA Research shows that75 percent of Montana voters oppose the nomination of Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management, including nearly six in ten who strongly oppose it. Just as telling,62 percent of voters say they would view Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy more favorably if they vote against Pearce’s confirmation. Public lands remain a rare unifying issue in our state, and Montanans are paying attention.
That opposition is rooted in Pearce’s record. As a member of Congress, he supported selling off public lands and sponsored legislation that would have allowed federal lands to be transferred to private interests. He has criticized Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy and openly called to “reverse this trend of public ownership of lands.” Those positions are far outside the Montana mainstream.
The stakes could not be higher. The BLM oversees more than one-third of the nation’s public lands, including more than 8 million acres across Montana. Grazing fees for Montana ranchers would spike 1,600% according to one analysis of federal land transfer.
These lands provide world-class hunting opportunities for elk, deer, antelope, and upland birds. They sustain working ranches, protect critical wildlife habitat, and ensure access for anglers, hikers, and families who rely on public land for both livelihood and quality of life.
Montanans are rightly concerned about what Pearce’s leadership would mean. According to the poll, 80 percent of voters believe Pearce’s oil and gas industry ties create an inappropriate conflict of interest, and 90 percent are concerned about impacts his confirmation would have on grazing, hunting, and fishing access. RABA Research summed it up plainly: Pearce’s record places him outside the mainstream of public opinion in Montana.
Given that reality, it is troubling that Senator Daines initially called Pearce “a great pick.” Senator Daines sits on the Senate committee that will first review this nomination, making his vote especially consequential.
Last year, Montana’s senators admirably bucked party leadership to oppose wholesale public land sell-offs. Now they face another defining moment. Montanans have made their position clear: you don’t keep public lands in public hands by putting someone in charge who wants to sell them off.
We urge Senators Daines and Sheehy to listen to the people they represent and vote noon Steve Pearce’s nomination.
Kathy Hadley is the director of the Montana Wildlife Fund. She lives in Deer Lodge.