The federal government owns more than 80 percent of Nevada’s land. So, the new Bureau of Land Management director could have a huge impact on the Silver State.
In late March, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted, along party lines, to send President Trump's pick, former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce's nomination to the full Senate for confirmation. And according to NPR's Western Correspondent Kirk Siegler, Pearce's nomination has been controversial for several reasons.
"I'd say he's a political operative," said Sigler, who has followed Pearce's nomination process. "He was the chairman of the GOP in New Mexico, became a friend of Trump, spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election in New Mexico, but he has since distanced himself from some of that political activism."
However, potentially even more consequential is the effect that current efforts to reorganize the U.S. Forest Service could have on this year’s wildfire season. In late March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans to relocate the U.S. Forest Service from Washington, D.C., to Utah.
"There have been calls for years to make agencies like the Forest Service more efficient, and I think everyone wants to do that," said Sielger. "But what's going on here hasn't really been fully explained to the public, and the move seems to be a push toward consolidation and a relocation of the headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah."
Siegler told State of Nevada that the move is raising concerns, especially considering Utah Sen. Mike Lee's ongoing efforts to secure large tracts of public land. He said some see the move as purely political.
"Utah does have forests, but not the volume that you have on West Coast states, particularly Oregon, Washington, California, and Idaho," said Siegler. "So moving the headquarters and a lot of operations to a state that's known more for deserts does raise a few eyebrows, but politically, it could be a move to the [Republican] party's base."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the Forest Service, is looking to relocate federal employees from Washington, D.C., to Utah starting this summer.
Guest: Kirk Siegler, NPR national correspondent
