Environment and Public Lands

Conservation and development on federal lands

61 public statements from 2026 candidates · 13 related bills

§1The range of views

Why this matters: These lands include national parks, forests and rangeland, and decisions about them affect rural jobs, energy and mineral supplies, hunting, fishing and other recreation, and wildlife.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

How the government balances protecting federal lands with uses such as drilling, mining, logging and grazing.

  1. Protect more land, such as with new national monuments or wilderness areas
  2. Keep roughly the current mix of protection and development
  3. Open more federal land to mining, logging and grazing

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Protect more land, such as with new national monuments or wilderness areas (12)

  • Doris Matsui CA-7
    Her campaign website says she co-chairs a congressional task force on public lands and waters and opposed Park Service staff cuts and President Trump's attempts to log public forests, and an earlier issues page still on the site says she is leading efforts for greater protection of old-growth and mature forests on federal lands.1,2
  • Randy Villegas CA-22
    His campaign website says national parks and wildlife conservation programs should be expanded.3
  • Salud Carbajal CA-24
    His campaign website says he has worked to create a new marine sanctuary and to designate parts of the Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument as protected wilderness.4
  • Judy Chu CA-28
    Her campaign website lists among her accomplishments working with President Obama to declare, and later President Biden to expand, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.5
  • Brad Sherman CA-32
    His campaign website says he has secured nearly $25 million to buy land for preservation in the Santa Monica Mountains and works to increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.6
  • Joe Neguse CO-2
    His campaign website says he is committed to preserving Colorado's public lands and shepherded through the House the CORE Act, a wilderness bill that would protect 400,000 acres of public land.7
  • Ed Case HI-1
    His campaign website's agenda lists protecting and expanding the national park and reserve system.8
  • Melissa Claire Strange KY-4
    Her campaign website says she supports moving to designate the Red River Gorge National Geologic Area in Kentucky as a national park.9
  • Moshe Y. Landman MD-6
    His campaign website lists preserving 30% of lands and oceans for nature and wildlife among its top environmental priorities.10
  • Betty McCollum MN-4
    Her campaign website says she introduced the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act to permanently shield Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Wilderness from sulfide-ore copper mining, and that on the Interior-Environment Subcommittee she works to keep federal funding for the EPA, national parks and public lands.11
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says public lands should never be opened to exploitation, defends Montana's national monuments against efforts to shrink them, and supports keeping the 130,000 acres of new wilderness in the River Runs Through It Act.12
  • Andrew Gerena TN Senate
    His campaign website calls for expanding protections for parks and wildlife.13

Open more federal land to mining, logging and grazing (3)

  • Matt Day GA-2
    His campaign website’s Joseph Farm Plan says it would open 1,000,000 acres of public land for long-term lease to American farmers, and its American Investment Bill says 640 million acres of federal land would be reviewed for monetization, expanding timber, carbon, solar and grazing leases and licensing leases to extract rare earth elements, lithium and uranium; its Local Issues page also says the country needs to invest in National Wildlife Refuges.14,15,16
  • Michelle Fischbach MN-7
    The record page lists co-sponsoring a bill that would cancel a public land order and bring back mining leases and permits within the Superior National Forest.17
  • Aaron Flint MT-1
    His campaign website says public lands should be managed under the multiple-use mandate and describes his public lands plan as weighing conservation, recreation and development of resources. The plan also lists spending federal funds to maintain and add public access, such as trails, campgrounds, boat ramps and restrooms, and upholding the Taylor Grazing Act. Its jobs plan lists expanding timber harvests and resource extraction to create jobs, and its forest plan lists ending the Roadless Rule, which it says blocks access for recreation, timber harvest and firefighting.18

Statements that don't match one option (46)

  • Eric Hafner AK-AL
    His statement in the state's official election pamphlet says resources such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) are precious and should not be used for short-term exploitation.19
  • French Hill AR-2
    His campaign website says he introduced the Flatside Wilderness Act, signed into law in 2019, and that this Congress added 2,200 acres of national forest to the Flatside Wilderness.20
  • Jared Huffman CA-2
    His campaign website lists winning permanent protection for the Stornetta Public Lands National Monument among the things he has fought for in Congress.21
  • Mike Thompson CA-4
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments helping protect more than 1 million acres of public land in California, including through the designation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.22
  • Mark DeSaulnier CA-10
    His campaign website says he opposes efforts in Congress to weaken protections for federal lands.23
  • Tessa Lynn Hodge CA-23
    Her campaign website says she will stand up for public lands such as Joshua Tree.24
  • Mike Levin CA-49
    His campaign website says he helped pass the Great American Outdoors Act, which provides permanent and full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.25
  • Kelley Anne Dennison CO-2
    Her campaign website says Colorado's forests, wildlife habitat, public lands and open spaces should be protected, but not locked away through one-size-fits-all federal mandates, and that ranchers, farmers and energy workers who depend on the land should be protected too.26
  • Lauren Boebert CO-4
    A campaign flyer on her website lists her bill to end the 30x30 conservation initiative, which it says would protect ranching, grazing and multiple use of public land, and says she got a provision that would have restricted the use of 760,000 acres in Colorado removed from the National Defense Authorization Act.27
  • Brittany Pettersen CO-7
    Her campaign website says she will fight in Congress to protect public lands and open spaces from developers.28
  • Jim Himes CT-4
    His campaign website lists his cosponsorship of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act and his vote for a public lands law that it says helped protect more than two million new acres of wilderness.29
  • Jahana Hayes CT-5
    Her campaign website says she passed legislation giving 41 miles of the Housatonic River a wild and scenic designation.30
  • Amanda Marie Green FL-2
    Her campaign website says she will work to protect North Florida's waters, forests, public lands and coastlines from pollution and irresponsible development while supporting conservation.31
  • Rachel Grage FL-5
    Her campaign website says she would defend coastal ecosystems, expand conservation funding and invest in disaster resilience.32
  • Kimberly Overman FL-12
    Her campaign platform says she supports land conservation and protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.33,34
  • Robert People FL-15
    His clean energy plan says he will oppose congressional measures that strip protections from public land so that mining, drilling or fracking can take place.35
  • Kelly Kirschner FL-16
    His campaign website says he would invest in more conservation land upstream to protect water and wildlife.36,37
  • Henry "Hank" Johnson, Jr. GA-4
    His campaign website says he has cosponsored bills to conserve public lands.38
  • Caitlyn Gegen GA-9
    Her campaign website says she will fight to make sure the U.S. National Forest Service is fully funded and staffed and to protect the Roadless Rule, so forests are protected from intensive logging and road building.39
  • Natalie M Fleming ID Senate
    Her campaign website says she would protect public lands, balancing conservation with responsible use and keeping access for hunting, fishing and hiking.40
  • Todd Achilles ID Senate
    His campaign website says he would defend Idaho's Roadless Rule to protect clean water, wildlife habitat, hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation and the landscapes that are part of Idaho's heritage.41
  • Jim Risch ID Senate
    His campaign website says that as governor he led a plan for managing Idaho's roadless areas that gave added protection to critical lands while keeping multiple-use provisions.42
  • Russ Fulcher ID-1
    His campaign website says local communities are better equipped to manage Idaho's forests, minerals, energy and natural resources, and that he has supported legislation to streamline geothermal energy development, expand domestic mining and improve forest management.43
  • Ellie Gilbreath ID-2
    Her policies page says she will protect public lands and the Roadless Rule for hunting, fishing, recreation, grazing and outdoor activities.44
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says he will invest in habitat restoration and conservation and push back against efforts to weaken protections for public lands, waterways and endangered species.45
  • Sharice L. Davids KS-3
    Her campaign website lists voting for the Great American Outdoors Act and the Protecting America's Public Lands Act, which it says work to protect and sustain public lands for future generations.46
  • Christina Bertrand Hines MI-10
    Her environment topic page says she will back conservation work that protects wildlife habitat and natural landscapes and will keep championing the protection of public lands in Congress.47
  • Kelly Morrison MN-3
    Her campaign website says she supports clean air and water and wants to protect public lands.48
  • Doug Chapin MN-6
    It says the Boundary Waters should not be opened up to mining or similar uses and that he will oppose any proposal that removes protections for the BWCA, the Boundary Waters area.49
  • Erik Osberg MN-7
    It says he will work to shield the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness against pollution and risky mining.50
  • Trina Swanson MN-8
    The priorities page says she will protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and separately that she would support copper-nickel mining if independent scientists and engineers conclude it can be done safely.51
  • Amy Klobuchar MN Governor
    Her campaign website says she voted against stripping protections from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and other federal lands, and that as governor she will oppose efforts to shrink the public lands and waters Minnesotans depend on.52
  • Sam Forstag MT-1
    His campaign website says he would end the use of emergency authorizations and fast-track programs to get around environmental protections. It also lists investing in timber harvest and updated mills in western Montana without putting environmental protections at risk.53
  • Shannon W. Bray NC Senate
    His campaign website supports protecting private property owners, preventing federal land overreach and voluntary conservation.54
  • Paul Barringer NC-13
    His priorities page says he supports fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund, wider access for underserved communities to trails and public land, and measures protecting biodiversity and clean water that take local residents' needs into account.55
  • Pete Ricketts NE Senate
    His campaign website says he opposed a Biden administration plan that it says would have taken 30% of Nebraska's land for federal conservation.56
  • Ben R Lujan NM Senate
    His campaign website says he is working to preserve New Mexico's public lands and environment for future generations.57
  • Larry E Marker NM Senate
    His campaign website says he would defend grazing rights and access to working land, and would challenge federal agency enforcement and permitting actions that it says harm farmers and ranchers.58
  • Melanie Ann Stansbury NM-1
    Her campaign website lists preserving public lands among the goals of legislation she is working on, along with action on climate change, more renewable energy, water security and clean air.59
  • Gregory G Cunningham NM-2
    His New Mexico Farmers First plan calls for vacant Forest Service grazing allotments to be assigned.60
  • Gabriel Vasquez NM-2
    His campaign website lists conserving the public lands that define New Mexico's way of life among his priorities and working to protect the Gila River through the M.H. Dutch Salmon Gila Wild and Scenic River Act among his accomplishments.61,62
  • Teresa Leger Fernandez NM-3
    Her campaign website’s About page says she wants public lands kept unspoiled and protected for future generations.63
  • Deb Haaland NM Governor
    Her affordability plan says she would preserve New Mexico's public lands and use state resources to help keep federal lands in the state safe and open as federal staffing is cut.64
  • Teresa F. Benitez-Thompson NV-2
    Her campaign website says public lands should be protected and managed in coordination with federal partners, and that federal funding for the agencies that manage them is critical.65
  • David Flippo NV-2
    His campaign website says he would stand up for water rights, grazing, mining and public lands.66
  • Christine Drazan OR Governor
    Her campaign website says she would improve forest management and work with federal partners to increase sustainable timber production.67

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.