Senate considers Michael Boren to lead Forest Service, despite clashing with agency
President Donald Trump's nominee to oversee the U.S. Forest Service has a history of clashing with the very agency that he soon could be leading.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry began the confirmation hearing for Michael Boren, an investment consultant, Idaho ranch owner and founder of a billion-dollar tech company. A bipartisan committee will assess Boren's qualifications and vote on his nomination.
Boren, 62, has had disagreements with the U.S. Forest Service in recent years. One recent conflict involves building a cabin and clearing land within the Sawtooth National Forest near Stanley, Idaho, E&E News reported, citing agency correspondence and individuals familiar with the situation.
He co-founded Boise-based tech company Clearwater Analytics and owns a 480-acre ranch, some of it within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, according to the Idaho Mountain Express. The work on the property began before Boren was nominated, but the matter has not yet been resolved, according to the publication.
The dispute over the cabin is with Galena Mines, an LLC associated with Boren. He was a listed as manager until February of this year, before he was removed.
MORE: Trump nominates 'Sharpiegate' scientist to lead NOAA
Other disputes include diverting a stream, disputes over how Boren manages land within and around the national forest and disagreements about the precise locations of mining claims made by Boren's corporation, according to E&E News.
A small airstrip on Boren's ranch also stirred uproar among neighbors who claim he was using it to land small planes before he was granted a conditional-use permit from the Forest Service, according to the report.
Attorney Thomas Balducci, who represented Boren for the 2023 lawsuit regarding the airstrip, declined to provide a comment to ABC News.
Boren's brother, David Boren, has also clashed with the Forest Service over a trail the agency built near his ranch.
If confirmed as the undersecretary of Natural Resources and Environment, Boren would be responsible for day-to-day operations at the U.S. Forest Service, which manages more than 200 million acres of public land. Boren would report to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
MORE: How national parks and forests could suffer as a result of federal firings
The Senate Agriculture Committee reviews presidential appointments to the Department of Agriculture's cabinet positions. After Tuesday's hearing, a full Senate confirmation will be required to complete Boren's appointment.
Current members of the committee include John Boozman (R-AR), Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
Boren was a donor to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
MORE: Lee Zeldin emphasizes accountability in EPA confirmation hearing, says he'll 'look into' IRA funds
On Jan. 16, Trump announced Boren's nomination on his social media platform Truth Social, describing him as "a successful businessman, who has founded six companies."
"Michael will work to reinvigorate Forest Management at a time when it is desperately needed," Trump wrote.
The nomination comes at a time of turmoil within the agency. On April 3, Rollins issued an ordered to remove environmental protections from about 112 million acres of national forests, and thousands of Forest Service employees have been fired in recent months.
The Forest Service did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. In a statement to the New York Times, the Forest Service wrote that Boren would "implement President Trump's America First agenda and ensure our forest system is properly managed, productive, and resilient. We look forward to his swift confirmation by the Senate."
ABC News could not immediately reach a representative for Boren for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
12 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump's ‘Big, Beautiful' Bill Gets Slimmed Down in Senate
WASHINGTON—President Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill is getting smaller just as Republicans head into a crucial week, after the Senate's rules arbiter decided several controversial provisions don't qualify for the special procedure the GOP is using to bypass Democratic opposition. The tax-and-spending megabill centers on extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts, delivering on the spirit of his campaign promises to eliminate taxes on tips and overtime, and providing big lump sums of money for border security and defense. Those new costs are partially offset by spending cuts, in particular to Medicaid.
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump rips Massie over Iran strike comments, threatens to campaign for primary challenger
Massie said his "side of the MAGA base" is made up of "non-interventionists" who are "tired from all these wars." President Donald Trump lashed out at Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a fellow Republican, over his criticism of U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites and threatened to campaign for the person running against him in the Republican primary next year. Soon after the military operation amid the Israel-Iran war was announced on June 21, Massie said the move was 'not Constitutional' on X. The day after the strike, Massie said it was 'a good week for the neocons and the military-industrial complex, who want war all the time" on CBS's "Face the Nation." Massie said his 'side of the MAGA base' is made up of 'non-interventionists" who are "tired from all these wars." Trump ripped into the lawmaker shortly afterward saying he was 'not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is.' 'Actually, MAGA doesn't want him, doesn't know him, and doesn't respect him,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on June 22. 'He is a negative force who almost always Votes 'NO,' no matter how good something may be.' Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, had also introduced a resolution on June 17 to prohibit U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war without Congressional approval. Describing the bombings of the three nuclear sites as a 'spectacular military success' Trump called Massie a 'lightweight' congressman who was 'weak and ineffective.' The lawmaker was one of two Republicans who voted against his tax bill in the House of Representatives last month. 'He'll undoubtedly vote against the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, even though non-passage means a 68% Tax Increase for everybody, and many things far worse than that,' wrote Trump. 'MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague!'
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israel says it has destroyed Iran's internal security HQ
Israel's military destroyed the headquarters of Iran's domestic policing arm, expanding its blows beyond Tehran's military and nuclear facilities as it continues to bombard its Middle East rival, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday. 'Air Force planes have just destroyed the headquarters of the Iranian regime's internal security — the central suppression arm of the Iranian dictator,' Katz wrote Wednesday in a post on social platform X, according to translation. 'As we promised — we will continue to target symbols of power and strike the ayatollahs' regime everywhere,' he continued. 'The tornado storm continues to strike Tehran.' Iran's internal security operations include the country's massive Basij Resistance Force, which polices dissent in the country. The latest target comes days after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and military outposts, killing several officials and scientists and setting off retaliatory attacks from Tehran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has argued that his country's strikes are crucial to ending a nuclear threat from the Islamic republic, which has long maintained that its uranium enrichment program is meant for civilian purposes. President Trump has meanwhile edged closer toward U.S. intervention in the military conflict to back up Israel. 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do,' he told reporters Wednesday. 'I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble.' 'And they want to negotiate,' the president added, referring to talks with the U.S. to dismantle its nuclear program. 'And I say why didn't you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction.' Despite increasing pressure on Iran amid the conflict, Trump has thus far pushed back on plans to target Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directly. The president said Tuesday Khamenei would be an 'easy target' but that there are no plans in the works to take him out — 'at least right now.' Iran on Wednesday cautioned the U.S. against intervening, with the supreme leader saying it could lead to an 'all-out war' and pledging to 'never surrender.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
