WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated former Republican congressman Steve Pearce of New Mexico to lead the Bureau of Land Management, a choice applauded by Wyoming’s congressional delegation and booed by environmental groups.

The BLM, which manages 245 million acres of public lands including 18.4 million in Wyoming, is currently run by an interim director, Bill Groffy. Trump’s first choice for director, Kathleen Sgamma, withdrew from consideration in April amid the surfacing of online posts in which she had criticized the president.

Wyoming Republican U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis said Pearce will properly handle the BLM’s politically charged multiple-use mandate. That includes issuing leases for livestock grazing, timber harvesting and en

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