In response to the confirmation hearing of Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Forest Service, Michael Boren, Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea released the following statement:
“Michael Boren leading the Forest Service is like letting the fox guard the hen house. This is a guy who built a private airstrip in the Sawtooths, then lied to government officials about it. His company put up an unauthorized cabin on National Forest land, which remains at the center of ongoing disputes over mining claims. He’s even been accused of threatening trail workers with a low-flying helicopter. Boren has spent years clashing with the Forest Service and even sued everyday Idahoans who dared to call him out. Now the Trump regime wants to hand him the keys after treating our public lands like his own private country club. His appointment represents everything that’s wrong with Trump’s billionaire-first agenda. Public lands belong to all of us, not just the ultra-rich who think the rules don’t apply to them. The American people deserve a leader who will protect our lands and manage forests responsibly, not a self-serving scofflaw.””
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