Democrats pressed Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on Thursday for answers about another high-ranking Agriculture Department official’s personal ties to matters he oversees in national forests, as well as concerns about other political appointees.
At a hearing on Forest Service programs, Democrats on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands raised concerns about Agriculture Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Michael Boren, who’s tussled with the forest agency over property he owns around the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho. Boren was not at the hearing.
In addition to Boren himself — whose legal conflicts with Idaho neighbors have also made headlines — Agriculture Department political appointees with ties to him sparked questions from Democrats on the panel.
California Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, dug into Boren’s interest in the Sawtooth National Forest and Recreation Area where he owns ranch property.
