Latest news with #landmanagement
E&E News
28-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Trump USDA nominee tussles with Forest Service over land use
The Trump administration's nominee to oversee the Forest Service is facing a new dispute over his use of land managed by the agency. Michael Boren, the pick for Agriculture Department undersecretary for natural resources and environment, is clashing with the Forest Service for building a cabin and clearing land in the Sawtooth National Forest near Stanley, Idaho, according to agency correspondence and people familiar with the situation. The work on the property began before Boren was nominated earlier this year to the position, which requires Senate confirmation. But the dispute hasn't been fully resolved, according to people who've discussed the matter with Forest Service officials in the past week. Advertisement Boren's nomination hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. The dispute about the cabin and other work including diverting a stream is the latest issue between Boren and the Forest Service over how he manages land in and around the national forest. It also speaks to broader questions about how the Forest Service deals with communities and neighboring property owners, as well as how the agency handles special-use permits for a variety of activities. Boren's testy relationship with the Forest Service has attracted attention among Senate Democrats, including Ron Wyden of Oregon and Agriculture ranking member Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and could be a focus of questioning at his hearing. The Democrats' offices didn't have immediate comment Wednesday. A spokesperson for Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) didn't return a message seeking comment. Boren also didn't immediately return messages sent Wednesday by email and through lawyers he's worked with. A former Forest Service employee familiar with some of the details said the agency has tried to work with him to resolve the matter, which involves disagreements about precisely where his corporation's mining claims exist, for instance. According to a warning letter the Forest Service sent to one of Boren's companies, Galena Mines, last Nov. 13, a cabin was built on forest system land without prior authorization and must be removed by July 1, and the land returned to its prior condition. 'We recently discovered a cabin and cleared land around a nearly built structure on National Forest System (NFS) land,' the agency's area ranger, Kirk Flannigan, wrote to Galena Mines, adding that the closest private property to the site is owned by the business. 'The Forest Service has no record of a special use authorization, contract or approved operating plan that would permit the clearing of NFS land and the construction of the cabin in this location,' Flannigan wrote. Therefore, he said, 'the cabin must be removed and the area restored to its natural condition.' The agency gave Galena Mines 45 days — which would have been in January — to submit a restoration plan and until Aug. 1 to complete it. The Forest Service and Agriculture Department didn't immediately respond to a message Wednesday seeking comment and further updates. Among other challenges in the Sawtooth, the forest has become short staffed by agency-wide staffing reductions and recently announced reduced operating hours in some offices. Galena Mines is registered with the Idaho secretary of state's office. Boren was listed as a manager until Feb. 24, when the corporation filed an amendment to remove him as a manager, leaving the title to Amanda Boren. At issue, too, is where certain mining claims are located in the forest, which would indicate where Galena Mines would have access rights. The warning letter indicates that the Forest Service is aware of Galena's nearby mining claims but contends that the cabin is on other, unsurveyed parcels. Boren's selection in mid-January stirred attention in forest policy circles, given his and his brother David Boren's recent history of conflicts with the Forest Service about property rights. David had a disagreement over a trail the Forest Service was building through his ranch near Stanley on an easement. Michael Boren ran into trouble with a small airstrip on his ranch. He had a conditional-use permit from the Forest Service to land small planes, but neighbors complained that he'd already been using the airstrip. In court papers, Boren said he used aircraft occasionally in the management of his ranch. Those conflicts played out in legal fights as well as in local news reports at the time. In nominating Boren, President Donald Trump cited his experience in business as well as his work as a board member of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and as a volunteer firefighter. A co-founder of Clearwater Analytics, Boren has made a career in financial management and software development. On Feb. 24, Michael and Joan Boren, as trustees of the MJB Revocable Trust, bought a new condominium at The Wharf in Washington for $6 million, according to property records with the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. Contact this reporter on Signal at hellmarcman.49.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Land for housing, more First Nation involvement among Yukoners' priorities for new Public Lands Act
The Yukon government heard a few priorities during public consultations over the territory's new Public Lands Act: Developing more land for housing; supporting more First Nations involvement; and defending the public's access to public lands. The Public Lands Act is still being developed to replace the territory's outdated rules for land management and recreation. Those rules were last reviewed in the 1980s and precede the final agreements signed by many Yukon First Nations. The government spent three months collecting public feedback last summer. It met with 50 organizations, including Yukon First Nations and transboundary First Nations, and received 105 written submissions from the public. It published a report on May 12. "I was very encouraged by the depth of the feedback and the nuanced approach that people took," said David Swinson, senior negotiator with the department of energy, mines and resources. Next, a steering committee will take the feedback and begin drawing up a legislative framework. The committee is composed of the territorial government and First Nations. Swinson says it will likely take more than two years to draft the new act. "It's gonna take us a significant amount of time to do it, and do it well," Swinson said. Land use planning central to discussion with First Nations All parties agreed that increasing First Nations involvement is a priority for the new act, according to the report. Collaborating with Yukon First Nations on new public land legislation was part of the devolution agreement with Ottawa in 2003. During consultation about the new act, almost all First Nations participants said that completing regional land use plans, and baking those into the new legislation, was a top priority. Those land use plans would identify areas for development and conservation, with enforcement under the Public Lands Act. Swinson said this has been a focus during steering committee discussions. A few ideas have been raised, like establishing a reserve system to link protected areas in both the land use plans and Public Lands Act. Land guardians could be hired to enforce the new law. A collaborative decision-making process could also be established. "We've been looking at a number of different ways," Swinson said. New legislation could clear way for housing development The report says that almost everyone surveyed agreed that more public land should be tenured for private ownership, or housing. "Many frustrations were expressed regarding the current lack of land availability and government's disposition process," the report said, "which was seen as inadequate, unfair, expensive and cumbersome." The report said new lots should come available more quickly and they should be priced affordably. Respondents also said there should be more commercial lots, as well. Matt Ball, director of the land management branch, said the Public Lands Act might create a path for public land to move into private developers' hands. "That opportunity for how [land] is accessed – and who develops it – is something we're going to talk more about as we get back to the table with First Nations," Ball said.
Times
06-05-2025
- General
- Times
New muirburn laws risk fuelling wildfires, campaigners warn
SNP ministers risk worsening the threat of wildfires in Scotland, campaigners say, amid fears that a new muirburn licensing scheme will delay the controlled burning of moorland. Critics argue the proposal could leave vast areas of land unmanaged, exacerbating the threat posed by combustible vegetation. Muirburn, which burns vegetation such as heather and grass, is a longstanding land management practice used to promote new growth for grazing, reduce fuel loads and manage biodiversity. Experts including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have emphasised its importance in preventing uncontrolled wildfires when carried out responsibly. • Scottish wildfire risk increases after lack of spring showers However, rural organisations including Scottish Land and Estates (SLE), the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA)
