U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman delivered an opening statement at a hearing to consider the nomination of Michael Boren for the position of Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment. The hearing took place in Washington.
In his prepared remarks, Chairman Boozman welcomed Mr. Boren from Idaho to the committee as they evaluated his nomination for the role overseeing the Natural Resources and Environment mission area at the Department of Agriculture.
Chairman Boozman highlighted the multiple functions served by the forests and grasslands managed by the United States Forest Service, including wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, oil, gas, minerals, and timber. He expressed interest in hearing Mr. Boren’s perspective on this multiple-use mandate for the Forest Service.
Boozman noted concerns about a reduction in priority for timber in recent years but acknowledged actions taken by President Trump and USDA to address this issue. He emphasized that utilizing forests to sequester carbon involves responsible timber harvesting and forest management.
The chairman also discussed how proper forest management could prevent catastrophic wildfires and reduce carbon emissions. He cited California wildfires in 2020 as having released twice as many greenhouse gas emissions than reductions achieved by the state between 2003 and 2019.
The committee is considering legislation known as the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA), which aims to provide tools and processes for federal land management agencies like the U.S. Forest Service to mitigate wildfires’ frequency and intensity.
If confirmed, Mr. Boren would be expected to implement FOFA promptly according to congressional intent. Boozman emphasized that Boren’s leadership would be crucial in ensuring efficient operation within the Forest Service mission area.
Chairman Boozman expressed expectations for collaboration with Mr. Boren should he be confirmed, emphasizing professionalism, candor, promptness in requests, information provision, and technical assistance cooperation with Congress.
Boozman concluded by congratulating Mr. Boren on his nomination and looked forward to hearing from him during the session before turning over proceedings to Ranking Member Klobuchar for her opening statement.
