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▶ 0:06:31Paid for by biosciences. >> are you going to believe the lies? David has compiled a 100% voting record on women's reproductive rights. And then the only democrat to detain immigrants without due process.
▶ 0:20:32Two and welcome. It is my privilege to examine the work of the united states forest service and challenges facing our national forest and communities that depend on it. I welcome our witness, chief of U.S. forest service tom schultz. Thank you for being here and sharing the work of the forest service to support our national forest, especially as this fire season begins.
▶ 0:20:57The forest manages and oversees roughly 193 million acres of forest and grasslands across this country. My stead of arkansas is home of two of those national forests -- my state. They account for nearly 3 million acres between the two. These national forests not only support local communities and their economies but also by providing recreational access.
▶ 0:21:28University of arkansas at monticello and arkansas department of agriculture also have close relationships that support research and local engagement. Needless to say, the impact of the forest service is well known in arkansas, and we are immensely proud of it. Earlier this year, forest service headquarters were moved to salt lake city, utah, and moving to a region-based structure to a state-based structure.
▶ 0:21:58They are closer to communities they serve. I look forward to hearing how the forest service will continue to support its mission, especially as we are already in the early part of peak fire season. The summer begins, forest service capacity to stop wildfires is top of mind for many. Wildfires are different to federal, state, tribal, and private property lines or political subdivisions.
▶ 0:22:28Last year we saw 5 million acres burned, with another 8.9 built -- 8.9 million burned in 2024. The outlook this year look screaming, and many predict another active fire season. -- the outlook this year looks grim. I look forward to hearing how the forest service will handle those challenges.
▶ 0:22:48The committee also reported an act called foca last year, and I think the members for introducing that important legislation, and I think chairman westerman for championing it in the house. I also want to thank our republicans and democrat colleagues who voted for it, including ranking member klobuchar and senator fetterman, senator lujan, and welsh.
▶ 0:23:19I am committed to working with leadership across the floor and sending it to the president's desk. It will provide the forest service much neatest dutch musts -- much needed authorities to fight firefighters. Thank you for appearing today, and I look forward to our discussion.
▶ 0:23:47Senator ranking member klobuchar.
▶ 0:23:50Sen. Klobuchar: Thank you, chairman, and thank you for holding this hearing. Thank you, chief schultz for observing -- serving as the chief of U.S. forest service and appearing before the committee, and I appreciated the briefing we had last week with secretary rollins and secretary bergman and others about the status of various fires and what is happening across the country.
▶ 0:24:15Sen. Klobuchar: I think the firefighters of the forest service are responding to the recent steward fire and flanders fire that were scary for many minnesotans, and in my home state, including the residence of two harbors across lake, and now just yesterday we have a fire near ely, minnesota, actually where my dad grew up.
▶ 0:24:39Sen. Klobuchar: I know there coordinated efforts for the past fires over the last month, with the bureau service -- forest service, indian affairs, and local first responders, most important, who are protecting lives and properties. Last may, senator smith and I visited an incident command center in two harbors and surveyed damage brought by the brooms and complex fires.
▶ 0:25:05Sen. Klobuchar: Drier, hotter spring seasons and a spruce worm outbreak are contributing to these fires, and I am focused on ensuring forest service and partners are ready for this approaching fire season. I do not remember a season where we have had so many, I will call them flash fires as they come out of the blue. They have been put out so far, but it does not bode well because of the dry weather and the condition for what we are going to see.
▶ 0:25:32Sen. Klobuchar: Chief schultz, I appreciate our recent conversations, as I have noted, and have raise the issues with the director at doi. Your agency's focus on the wildfire issue, critical, and forests across the country, which is why a remain concerned by some of the reductions we have talked about.
▶ 0:25:51Sen. Klobuchar: I am troubled that more than 1400 forest service employees with so-called red cards that allow them to fight firefighters without being hired as firefighters departed the agency last year. Broader workforce reduction, especially when we are seeing these sort of flash, seven fires, and major fires across the country.
▶ 0:26:12Sen. Klobuchar: These employees are crucial to the agency wildfire response during challenging seasons, like we may see now, and these departures could leave the agency less prepared. I also look forward to hearing how the forest service will treat more acres for hazardous fuels this year after a year over year drop in 2025.
▶ 0:26:33Sen. Klobuchar: I believe we should be strengthening the agencies wildfire response capabilities, and, unfortunately, we see in these cuts that should be concerning. The budget we have seen from the administration proposes deep cuts to popular state forestry programs, funding for volunteer fire departments, and forestry research.
▶ 0:26:54Sen. Klobuchar: In the budget, the administration recommends wildfire operations to be out of the usda forest service, as you know, and we are concerned about the unintended consequences of doing that. I am sure you will address that. The budget proposes eliminating forestry research and cutting nfs funding. At the same time, the forest service reorg suggests these mission areas will be reconfigured. That leads to confusion.
▶ 0:27:22Sen. Klobuchar: The forest service research facility in grand rapids, minnesota, which carries out invaluable red pine research is on the list of facilities to be closed, as is the site in ely. Employees have been notified of potential reorganization but questions remain about where researchers will be located. In april, I and ranking member heinrich and murphy and more than 30 of my colleagues directly raised concerns with the reorganization of the usda.
▶ 0:27:51Sen. Klobuchar: If this reorganization is not well executed, it could lead to additional capacity and workforce reductions. Again, I am sure you will be addressing that. I appreciate your willingness to answer my questions. The departure of red card holding employees, a drop in wildfire mitigation and maintenance work, and confusing reorg plans are concerning developments. In there is a role for congress.
▶ 0:28:18Sen. Klobuchar: My colleague senator boseman just mentioned the fix our forest act, which this committee passed through, and we're looking forward to its consideration on the floor, and we understand that passage could be eased by some additional changes that I hope we will be able to develop together. I appreciate the bipartisan leadership, and that is why I supported that bill.
▶ 0:28:47Sen. Klobuchar: The chief schultz, your leadership and the dedicated work of the forest service personnel are much appreciated, needed more than ever to see the agency through these challenging times. And I look forward to hearing your testimony. Thank you.
▶ 0:29:07Chair Boozman: It is my pleasure to introduce tom schultz, the 21st chief of the united states forest service. Prior, he was vice president of resources in government affairs at the idaho forest group and director of the idaho department of lands. Chief schultz also worked for the montana department of natural resources and served as an air force officer.
▶ 0:29:31Chair Boozman: He holds a bachelor's degree from the university of virginia, master's degree from university of wyoming, and a masters degree in forestry from the university of montana. Thank you very much for being with us today. We now recognize you for your statement.
▶ 0:29:47Chief Schultz: Chairman boseman, ranking member klobuchar, and members, thank you for inviting me here today to testify. Usda's forest service is the nation's foremost federal forest organization. We had the privilege of managing 154 national forest, 20 national gracias, 100 93 million acres. Since day one, my work has been refocusing efforts on the fundamental work that delivers the greatest good to the american people.
▶ 0:30:15Chief Schultz: I would like to share the priorities getting the forest service forward, and share key accomplishments from previous year. Our priorities reflect a back to basics approach, the work that matters most. Keeping forests set, protecting communities from wildfire, actively managing forests for health and productivity, supporting community is recovering after disasters, extending access to the outdoors, increasing domestic mineral production, increasing and cutting unnecessary red tape, strengthening partnerships that make all of this possible.
▶ 0:30:46Chief Schultz: At the center of everything we do is safety, firefighter safety on the line or in the field, safety is the first and last priority. Proud to say we reduced recordable incidents by more than 15% year over year. That is a direct reflection of the culture that puts safety first. Readiness and response remains one of our most urgent responsibilities. Prioritizing rapid initial response so we can keep fires small.
▶ 0:31:12Chief Schultz: We have invested in staffing, coordination, contract and infrastructure to make a reality that fire season in many cases extends 12 months. We see results. In fiscal year 2025, even though we had the highest number of wildfire starts on the national forest in nearly a decade, the acres burned were held to about half of the 10-year average. The initial success rate was the strongest in 12 years. We treated more than 3.3 million acres to reduce hazardous fuels.
▶ 0:31:40Chief Schultz: For this fiscal year, we have treated nearly 2.2 million acres nationally already, or 61% of our target, as of may. One point 69 acres that prescribed fire, nearly 500,000 more than last year at this time. Other forms of active force management and timber production, grazing, reforestation also remain essential to a healthy and resilient forest. In 2025, we exceeded timber targets.
▶ 0:32:08Chief Schultz: It supports domestic mills, strengthens rural economies, and we are implementing the national active force management strategy . We are on target to increase the timberline of the national force by 25% with the overall goal of 4 billion more feet by fiscal year 2028. We are modernizing grazing processes and extending access to help landscapes for resilient communities.
▶ 0:32:34Chief Schultz: Last year we completed the highest level of reforestation over 25 years, reinforcing almost 287,000 acres, and improving hundred 65 thousand acres additionally. It is a critical role in mineral production. The forest service is committed to facilitating responsible development, especially of critical minerals essential to national security, technology, and energy. Reducing regulatory delays.
▶ 0:33:01Chief Schultz: We are working on projects, including 14 transparency projects. When disasters occur, the forest service is a key department for recovery. Within 1500 miles of roads and nearly 700 miles of trails and 34 recreation sites. Across more than 100 disaster recovery events, we awarded contracts and $1.5 billion for landscapes and infrastructure.
▶ 0:33:27Chief Schultz: We are also working to expand recreation access and improve visitor experience for the millions of americans who enjoy their national forests. The great american outdoors act, 125 deferred maintenance projects and prevent 160 two rec sites and 78 roads and bridges. The forest service is working alongside states and local governments to manage forest more effectively. In the past two years, we have signed and entered into agreements with seven states and three tribal nations.
▶ 0:33:55Chief Schultz: By the end of fiscal year 25, we will have had 540 active good neighbor authority agreements. These partnerships help expand capacity, cut through operational challenges, and deliver restoration work. We are also taking significant steps to reduce red tape and improve organizational efficiency.
▶ 0:34:16Chief Schultz: Restructuring at headquarters in salt lake city, shifting to a state-based leadership model, creating an operation's service center, unifying research programs for decision making being closer to communities and landscapes we serve. It represents a structural reset to improve mission delivery. As we look into the 20 fire season, we have updated fire potential.
▶ 0:34:38Chief Schultz: We also enter unified prepared, hired more than 11,000 firefighters, up 6% from last year at this time, and we will reach the 11,003 hundred go by july. We have increase the number of red carded wildfire staff and more personnel for more surge capacity. Finally, working with the doi as directed on the administration's broader effort to consolidate the nation's wildfire system. These efforts without compromising operation readiness.
▶ 0:35:06Chief Schultz: Through this work, we are here to protect and with public support and a unified response to wildfires across the nation. Chairman boseman, ranking member klobuchar, and members, thank you for inviting me here today. I welcome questions.
▶ 0:35:26Chair Boozman: Thank you, chief, very much. We will go to our questions now. As I mentioned, this fire season is expected to be active, as we saw a very dry winter in the west and below average rain and the southeast. This spring, how has the forest service prepared for this year and what is your strategy for approaching the fire season?
▶ 0:35:50Chief Schultz: Mr. chairman, this year we are ahead of about 8% of where we were last year in terms of hiring at this time. We have hired over 11,000 firefighters at this point. And we also have about 450 more red card personnel than we did previously. We have increased our ability to basically suppress wildfires aggressively. The other thing we have done, I issued a letter of intent to employees across the forest service.
▶ 0:36:17Chief Schultz: That is basically advocating for a safe fire season but also one that we will attack aggressively, the fires that occur, protecting communities. The other piece we are looking at, we have been working to implement the president's executive order and have had a lot of support and success in simplifying and unifying our processes between department of interior and the forest service. We are communicating better and will coordinate better this fire season.
▶ 0:36:45Chair Boozman: Thank you. It was announced earlier this year that the fire service will move its headquarters to salt lake city, utah, and move to a state-based structure. What measure will improve this reorganization, what will it deliver for the forest service employees, management operations, and can you describe how the agency engaged with the local communities and state partners when considering the changes?
▶ 0:37:11Chief Schultz: Mr. chairman, first of all, we have to take a step bask -- back and ask why we are doing this. If you look at the way we have been structured for years, in many cases things have worked, but we have also had a lot of shortfalls in how we made decisions. The forest service was set up to have decisions made at the local level as much as possible. What we have seen is we have grown the size of the forest service in that decision-making has gravitated away from local forests to regions in the washington office.
▶ 0:37:40Chief Schultz: So this is an intent to move the decision-making back to the ground, to those local communities, the forests in districts with those folks that were on the ground no land best, work in and live in those communities, and know the people best to make those decisions. We are creating a state-based system that you referenced. We will have 4 -- 15 state directors. That will be in the west and east, and it will look a little different in the east where we have a smaller footprint.
▶ 0:38:08Chief Schultz: But that is the fundamental intention. Greater coordination with states and with tribes, as well as county commissioners and local partners by having that approach. This is an example, we have a single regional forester at california, oregon, washington, and alaska. In this new base model, we will have an individual director over each of those states. So we think there will be greater communication and coordination with those local governments to get things done.
▶ 0:38:37Chief Schultz: That is what we're trying to do, really push decision-making down and have the agency's presence closer to the people that are impacted by the forestry service.
▶ 0:38:49Chair Boozman: Last october, as mentioned by myself and senator klobuchar, we advance the bipartisan fix our forest act, or fofa,. What measures and legislation like fofa would be most effective in improving active forest management and reducing wildfires across the national forest system?
▶ 0:39:13Chief Schultz: Fofa has a lot of beneficial provisions. Utility rights-of-way is a big deal, particularly in the west. We have seen an opportunity to expand, how quickly we can remove hazardous fuels from utility lines. There has been a lot of support for those provisions. There are provisions to reduce some of the litigation issues we have. We think that will be very helpful.
▶ 0:39:37Chief Schultz: There are provisions with fire sheds, some of the work being done, to identify those areas and expedite some of the work that can be done in the areas that need to be protected. We think, overall, there are a lot of good things in fofa. There are still a couple things folks are looking at and trying to tweak around the edges. Overall, we think fofa will be helpful to the service and the public.
▶ 0:40:03Chair Boozman: Thank you. Senator klobuchar.
▶ 0:40:05Sen. Klobuchar: Thank you very much, Mr. chair. We have talked about this before, chief schultz, but the canada fires at the last few years, I understand there may be a chance they will not be as bad this year. You can comment on that. Not going to hold you to it, but that is the hope, given the smoke they created which, in my state and many others, was -- had an incredible impact on so many people. And across the country.
▶ 0:40:33Sen. Klobuchar: I understand that last summer, more than 500 U.S. forest service and minnesota dnr wildland firefighters went to canada to help, and last month personnel from canada came to help in minnesota with the fires I mentioned previously. As we are now in the fire season, how do you balance sharing resources with canada, and could you talk about what you predict, what you have seen for what the canada fires will be like this year?
▶ 0:41:01Chief Schultz: Senator klobuchar, Mr. chairman, the agreements with canada it is over 40 years old. We have been working with them for 43 years. Last year, I think it was nearly 600 firefighters and command personnel that supported those efforts. That will continue. The work goes both ways. We sent support staff and resources to canada, and they reciprocate and send folks to the U.S. when we have a diet coke -- when we have a difficult fire season.
▶ 0:41:30Chief Schultz: In terms of this upcoming fire season, as we have talked about, the conditions in the U.S. look very difficult. Last year, they were very challenging, as well. In minnesota last year, early in the season, it was very challenging. One of the things that can be helpful, you asked about how we allocate resources, is the timing of when the fire season occurs.
▶ 0:41:50Chief Schultz: In some cases, the minnesota fire season tends to be a little bit earlier in the year than some of the other -- you think about the fire season like a u- shade, stress and the east, southeast, to the southwest, then the west. Typically, the fire season does not directly overlap a lot of times with minnesota, in particular, with canada. But we will allocate resources.
▶ 0:42:16Sen. Klobuchar: In the predictions on the canadian smoke this summer?
▶ 0:42:20Chief Schultz: A little bit better than last year. Last year was a very tough year. It is difficult to predict.
▶ 0:42:26Sen. Klobuchar: Quickly, what was the reason for putting the grand rapids facility set for closure? Grand rapids, minnesota.
▶ 0:42:37Chief Schultz: What we identified is I think we had roughly 90 different r&d facilities that have some degree of staffing. We are looking at all of our facilities and identified 20 which has about 50% of the r&d staff. But this is a broader discussion than just r&d. We have about a $3 billion backlog and referred maintenance across all structures right now in terms of infrastructure.
▶ 0:43:03Chief Schultz: That is just for, whether it is buildings or infrastructure supporting buildings. We have about $837 million reduction in our budget year over year for facilities. -- we have about a $37 million reduction in our budget. So we are looking at all facilities. I know there has been confusion based on language are used previously about closures. We have not made any determinations. We are evaluating facilities and looking at opportunities for consolidation.
▶ 0:43:31Chief Schultz: In some cases, we know we have state partners or other partners that maybe have interest in buildings. But there have been no determinations of closing.
▶ 0:43:40Sen. Klobuchar: Our concern is forests are not all the same. They are researching red pine and spruce, and they might not be able to do that and other facilities. We can talk more about it later. I brought up about how the present budget wants to move for service fire operations to the doi, and the congressionally directed study regarding this proposal is not complete. Why not wait until the study is completed?
▶ 0:44:05Chief Schultz: Senator klobuchar, Mr. chairman, currently with the study is that, it is on the street right now, open until june 8 for submission of proposals. It is called a rfq, request for quotes. My understanding is looking at the house mark, waiting for the house version of the budget, until the study is complete.
▶ 0:44:32Chief Schultz: In the president's budget, we articulated this in 2026 and 2027, a desire to move and can satellite -- consolidate and unify the fire program. Congress asked us to complete the study, which we were going to do. I have not seen the senate market yet on the budget. But the house, looking for that study to be completed before the house proposal. At the -- at this point in time, looks like the study will be completed probably in the november timeframe, there is a six month time limit to get the work done.
▶ 0:45:02Chief Schultz: So I anticipate the study to be completed before final decisions are made.
▶ 0:45:10Sen. Klobuchar: Les, what is your plan to minimize the lust of forest service employees with red card that are subject to reorganization? I mentioned these people and our concerns about people who have lost their jobs when we need more people fighting fires.
▶ 0:45:21Chief Schultz: Appreciate those comments. Last year was a lot different than this year. You referenced 1400 folks that are red cards. We looked at the numbers last year, and less than 500 had been on a fire in the last five years. But this year, we actually have 450 more red carded personnel than the last several years, even going back to 2024. So we made an effort to your point to ensure we had more outreach with staff to get folks red card as we go into this fire season.
▶ 0:45:51Chief Schultz: So we have more people we have hired year to date over the last couple years, as of this date, more than 11,000 hired, plus an additional 400 50 red carded personnel available this season. In terms of staffing, we are better positioned this year than the last several.
▶ 0:46:09Sen. Klobuchar: Ok, and I will put in writing and ask a question at the end about state for street agencies not being able to accept certain awards because of changes to terms and conditions. Last year, the grants went out, and given what we're facing right now, making sure those grants go out. But my time is expired, so thank you.
▶ 0:46:33Chair Boozman: Senator inhofe -- senator hoeven.
▶ 0:46:40Sen. Hoeven: Prairie dogs are a big problem and dakota. In lester's appropriations bill, it included language which I will read. The committee is concerned about the rapidly increasing levels of prairie dogs and decode prairie grasslands and encroachment and degradation of nonfederal lands. The committee encourages the service -- in the private lands, excuse me.
▶ 0:47:04Sen. Hoeven: The committee encourages these services to promulgate an amendment to the 2018 prairie dog management plan which would limit occupied prairie dog habitat to not more than 1.5% of the federal land in any single grazing allotment and ensure prairie dog control activity is conducted within the one-mile offer between federal land and state and private land. As you know, we have a prairie dog problem.
▶ 0:47:32Sen. Hoeven: My first question is, when are you going to fully implement this 20 26 language?
▶ 0:47:39Chief Schultz: What we did was we had outreach with the grassland associations and met with folks here over the last couple of months. They have come up with a list of recommendations they have submitted to us. It was jointly worked on. That is something we are evaluating on how to implement recommendations, which includes specific recommendations to prairie dogs.
▶ 0:48:01Sen. Hoeven: Where are you in the process? What does that mean in terms of accomplishing the objective laid out in the language?
▶ 0:48:09Chief Schultz: So, the objectives and language provided a framework to evaluate this, so we took direct input from those folks impacted by the permittees. And they developed a list of recommendations, and they submitted that back to us in the last month. So we are evaluating how to best implement those recommendations, whether it is through forest plans are individual allotments, even language and some of the association agreements we have.
▶ 0:48:34Sen. Hoeven: That is good. What is your timeline for getting to determination?
▶ 0:48:40Chief Schultz: Senator hoeven, I would say within the next month we will have a plan on how to implement those recommendations.
▶ 0:48:46Sen. Hoeven: Can you and I go back out and see our grazers at that point and go through it with them? They are very concerned they are losing ground. As you know, in some cases, it looks like a lunar landscape. That means on private land, nonfederal lands, on adjacent lands, because it is not working. We need to get you back out.
▶ 0:49:12Sen. Hoeven: So again, we will try to time it with your formulation of the response there. I think we need to get back out and talk to those grazing associations and really see if it is going to work and what their thoughts are. Obviously, it needs to be coordinated with them.
▶ 0:49:34Chief Schultz: Yes, sir.
▶ 0:49:35Sen. Hoeven: The other thing is, we do appreciate what you are doing. Thanks to you and chris french. But to go out and see that interface, ranching and energy, so much going on with energy now, tourism, fires, and everything else. We just need you to come back out and see our guys.
▶ 0:49:54Chief Schultz: Yes, sir.
▶ 0:49:56Sen. Hoeven: Thank you, chief.
▶ 0:49:59Chair Boozman: Senator smith.
▶ 0:50:00Sen. Smith: Thank you, and welcome, chief schultz. Good to see you. I want to quickly follow up on the questioning that my colleague from minnesota was asking about the grand rapids research facility. My ears perked up when you talked about sort of two combined goals, one keeping decision-making at the local level, which I agree with, and also always looking for ways you can save money, which I can also relate to. So on the grand rapids facility, two points here.
▶ 0:50:28Sen. Smith: You may not be aware that that facility, the forest service leases from the university of minnesota and it is one dollar a year for a 50-year lease, and there's 45 years left on that lease. So it looks like a pretty good deal for the taxpayers to have those folks there. In addition, on the goal of local decision-making, those folks there have been hosting decades long large-scale experiments.
▶ 0:50:54Sen. Smith: It is very local, based on wetlands and heat linens and forest, it is a unique forest land. Can we follow back up with you, as I understand this is on the closure list and decisions are yet to be made -- seems to me like it could be a good financial decision to leave this research facility and place in northern minnesota.
▶ 0:51:16Chief Schultz: Senator smith, yes, ma'am, we can visit on that. I want to clarify, there have been no decisions made. With regard to the research program, there is still confusion -- our intent is not to eliminate any research programs. We are looking at facilities and the best way to manage them, reduce our overall footprint so we can manage within our budget. In terms of the staffing and research programs, the intent is not to reduce the programs, it is to look at facilities.
▶ 0:51:40Sen. Smith: We can maybe find common ground here as we think about the value of the folks in grand rapids doing this research , regionally specific but widely applicable research. Ok, I am going to switch to another issue. I would like to talk about public lands issue that the forest service has direct accountability for in minnesota. This is the bad lynn waters, a large federal wilderness area in the superior national forest on the border of minnesota and canada -- the badland waters.
▶ 0:52:11Sen. Smith: I am sure you are familiar. There is a long-standing proposal to build a sulfide mine, and there was a mineral lease withdrawal done in 2023 after a comprehensive science driven analysis. Public land order put in place with a 20-year moratorium on the mineral leases, essentially because the analysis showed that this mine and place a post unacceptable risks to the wilderness area.
▶ 0:52:39Sen. Smith: Last month, the congressional review process was used in an unprecedented way and it was revoked, overturned, despite widespread opposition in minnesota. Here is my question. We sit here today, the forest service is in a crucial place, both for the decision around re-upping these leases, and then the permitting process that would follow as a result.
▶ 0:53:09Sen. Smith: Under section 102 of the national environmental policy act, the forest service is required to evaluate the environmental impacts of any project under its jurisdiction, which seems to be no doubt this project would have significant environmental impact. Can you talk about the forest service plans for completing a full and complete environmental review of this project?
▶ 0:53:35Chief Schultz: Senator smith, Mr. chairman, my understanding is we did do an nei is we did do an neeis previously on this process. We need to dust it off and evaluate what additional work needs to be done. I do not know exactly what work needs to be done to update that eis with new information or what we might need to do.
▶ 0:53:57Chief Schultz: I do not have an exact answer, but we can get back to you on what a timeline might look like for updating and advising that analysis.
▶ 0:54:05Sen. Smith: The concern in minnesota is the administration has made some statements about how this process could be done and a matter of weeks, and of course that does not seem logical or credible just that that could be a full review given that time period. What about the opportunity for members of the public to weigh in on this project, a public comment period? What are your plans and will you commit to having a robust public comment period?
▶ 0:54:33Chief Schultz: Senator smith, chairman, we have not determined a plan on the go forward basis yet. We will get back to you and your staff on that and let you know what we are thinking about how to proceed. We have not had that discussion. As you mentioned, the act is relatively recent and we have not had time to go back and look and determine a plan to proceed.
▶ 0:54:53Sen. Smith: As you are going through that process, you should think about the requirement around intergovernmental consultation, the government of canada. This is outlined in the boundary waters treaty of 1909. I will be following up with great interest because this is an interest -- issue of huge interest in minnesota and around the country, as tribal leaders and tribal members, outdoor enthusiasts, public land advocates, and hunting and
▶ 0:55:23Sen. Smith: Fishing groups care very much about what happens here. Thank you, Mr. chair.
▶ 0:55:28Chair Boozman: Senator hyde-smith.
▶ 0:55:34Sen. Hyde-Smith: Thank you, Mr. chairman, very much, and I certainly appreciate you being here, chief schultz, and I have enjoyed the relationship we have had and the opportunities we have had together to visit bills and things, because mississippi is a wood basket. And that is very important. But they are facing some critical challenges right now, as we briefly discussed.
▶ 0:55:58Sen. Hyde-Smith: You and your team have been extremely helpful to our office in attacking the decline of timber demand and building more sustainable market opportunities for our landowners. What we want to talk about right now is the significant storms that we have experienced from the recent tornadoes and winter storm, absolutely brutal. It harmed private and national forests all over the state of mississippi.
▶ 0:56:25Sen. Hyde-Smith: I live in southwest mississippi, and I spend a lot of time around that area's national forest which suffered major damage in the tornadoes we had on may 6 and may 7 that came through. And I surveyed the damage, and it is pretty staggering of what has happened to that. In the tornado caused, obviously, damage on private land, as well as our federal land. And it is pretty significant.
▶ 0:56:55Sen. Hyde-Smith: But the impact reaches other national forest lands in mississippi, including the holly springs and the delta national forests. The roads, forest service facilities, campgrounds, and other infrastructure, including the area around lake odessa, which I have done an awful lot of work on their, bringing a project that has been very significant to southwest mississippi.
▶ 0:57:20Sen. Hyde-Smith: And it is very clear that the amount of damage in that area is going to take a lot, talking tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. I am concerned, obviously, about the dead timber and the biomass left behind that we know his perfect conditions to create wildfires that we certainly do not need. If this material is not removed quickly, that is exactly what we will be experiencing.
▶ 0:57:50Sen. Hyde-Smith: So the wildfires in these already hard-hit areas which have experienced drought conditions would be catastrophic and threatening to the surrounding communities. So I believe congress should act to prevent this from happening by passing supplemental disaster package for the forestry service to continue response efforts, and the package should include legislation this committee approved, actually, in october, to convey lands in the national
▶ 0:58:21Sen. Hyde-Smith: Forest to help spread the economic development in this rural region of my state. So my question is from the forest service's perspective, what additional actions can be taken to accelerate the storm damage cleanup, reduce the risk of wildfires on affected national forest lands in mississippi, and what additional resources can be provided to the forest service to rebuild badly damaged infrastructure in these
▶ 0:58:53Sen. Hyde-Smith: Areas?
▶ 0:58:53Chief Schultz: Senator hyde-smith, chairman bozeman, thank you for the questions and thank you for pointing out the impact of the recent tornadoes in mississippi. Unfortunately, as you know, tornadoes are not uncommon, as are not hurricanes. You see what happens with a tornado, a lot of times it hits a community and impacts people's lives and structures, but also the trees are twisted. A lot of times it can be challenging to salvage those for value.
▶ 0:59:17Chief Schultz: I am happy to report that may 5 or may 6 was the date that that tornado hit, and here we are less than a month later and the forest service has already been selling salvaged timber cells to help clean up some of those areas. In my checking this morning, a couple big things. When tornadoes and hurricanes happen, road closures are a big deal. We have already opened up 70 miles of roads affected by the tornado so people can have access.
▶ 0:59:46Chief Schultz: In terms of salvage cells, we have prepared six different savage's -- salvage sales, about 66,000 ccf volume sold, four on the shelf to be sold. We priced them as cheap as we can, nine cents a ton. Our ability can be challenged. We do not want to oversupplied the market.
▶ 1:00:13Chief Schultz: We want private landowners to have first opportunities to make sure they can salvage dead material off of their properties. But we have acted quickly in this situation, working with the forest -- you are right, in terms of the infrastructure needs, there are other infrastructure needs, not just on the road but campgrounds. That is where we will look internally to see what we can do. If you and congress decides to move forward with the supplemental, we will definitely work to help identify areas where that will be helpful.
▶ 1:00:44Sen. Hyde-Smith: Thank you, and hurricane season started yesterday. So we are holding our breath. Thank you.
▶ 1:00:47Chair Boozman: Senator welch.
▶ 1:00:50Sen. Welch: Thank you very much, Mr. tillman -- Mr. chairman. Chief schultz, thank you so much for being here. You know, the forest, the reorganization is always a tough issue, because legitimate to have fresh eyes on the situation, but the console edition has real impacts.
▶ 1:01:16Sen. Welch: In vermont, we have this tremendous relationship with usda, and general. It has been extremely helpful to governmental agencies doing important work. My farmers really depend and rely on it. As does our forest community. And we have a george aiken research center in danger of being closed down.
▶ 1:01:40Sen. Welch: And I want to just point out that consolidation and moving people may ultimately result in some "inefficiencies," but on the other hand, there is enormous value -- may ultimately result in some "efficiencies," but it is a value to have people they are doing the work. University of vermont and usda has been invaluable.
▶ 1:02:07Sen. Welch: Can you speak about what will happen to the george aiken facility?
▶ 1:02:12Chief Schultz: Yes, sir. Senator welch, Mr. chairman, as I reiterated previously, we have made no determinations on any closures.
▶ 1:02:21Sen. Welch: Can you speak more into the microphone?
▶ 1:02:24Chief Schultz: Yes, sir pure no determinations on any closures. We are still evaluating the science. Specific to vermont, we do have an agreement with the university of vermont, as indicated. I think the cost is about $40,000 a year, not significant. We are looking at all of these agreements and structures, can we renegotiate some rates? How do we get the cost structure down? The biggest issue is looking across facilities knowing we have a shortfall and how to best consolidate and save funds.
▶ 1:02:53Chief Schultz: There has been no determination to close that site or that facility.
▶ 1:03:01Sen. Welch: Let me speak to that, because it does not give anybody reassurance. This is legitimate. I want to acknowledge you and the responsibility to organize. If the focus on reorganization is just saving money, bring back elon musk and does, it does not work out so well -- bring back elon musk and doge, it does not work so well.
▶ 1:03:27Sen. Welch: To reload -- relocate people from there -- from where the work is being done in the area, from the work where it needs to be done, comes with an immense cost in terms of the quality of the work. It is hard for me to see it makes any sense to be talking about closing down this facility on what is a modest budget impact and has a huge environmental positive impact. It is based on a very successful relationship with the university of vermont and with the forest service.
▶ 1:03:58Sen. Welch: Can you speak to that?
▶ 1:04:00Chief Schultz: Yes, sir. Again, to reiterate my point previously, we are not shutting down research, not eliminating staff. In terms of any particular relationship with any university, we have got relationships with universities all across the country, not unlike the one with the university of vermont. It is a good thing, I do not disagree. My point being is we have the discussions and are able to look at the lease structures and rent paid and looking at opportunities.
▶ 1:04:28Chief Schultz: We had the same discussion previously with the university of baltimore in maryland. Historically, it has not always been the same facility. We are evaluating and have not made determinations.
▶ 1:04:42Sen. Welch: Thank you. Maybe I will make the case here. This is very low cost, and we have an extraordinary invasive species problem in vermont. That is for a lot of areas in the country. But it is absolutely vital to us that we have on the ground local people that are familiar and committed over the long term to dealing with these invasive -- these invasive species problems.
▶ 1:05:11Sen. Welch: And that is what we have right now, this structure in place. The senator from vermont and someone who sits in the seat of senator lahey who was instrumental of helping us, this is a vital institution for vermont. This is a vital institution to the well-being of our environment.
▶ 1:05:33Sen. Welch: And I urge you to take into account the impact locally, not just the impact financially to save a dollar, you may lose a forest. Thank you.
▶ 1:05:46Chair Boozman: Senator marshall.
▶ 1:05:50Sen. Marshall: Thank you, chairman. Welcome, chief schulz, to the hearing. Glad you are here. To remind everybody, the terms kansas and forest are oxymorons that we get to examine the beauty of nature one tree at a time. You know what we call three trees and a quarter section of land in kansas? A forest.
▶ 1:06:14Sen. Marshall: [laughs] but our national grassland is near and dear to my heart and is under your purview. I was out there not too long ago , and long term district ranger nancy brewer gave me an incredible job, what a wonderful committee ranger we have had there. But the same day the wind was literally blowing 40 miles per hour, not gusts. That was the baseline, 40 miles per hour.
▶ 1:06:41Sen. Marshall: As we were leaving, she said, my gosh, I hope we don't have any fires today, it is a bad day. Sure enough, we were not 30 minutes out of the grasslands and there was a huge fire, turns out to be 280,000 acres. Fortunately, it was eased of those grasslands. Speak specifically to that grassland, grass and management, and looking at the chances of losing all that.
▶ 1:07:09Chief Schultz: Senator marshall, Mr. chairman, in my opening statement I talked about active management, and that is not just forest management but also arrange management, managing grasslands. We have 20 national grasslands, and that is one of them. Active lands is key to reducing fuels and finding fuels on the landscapes and making sure that we have active permittees out there.
▶ 1:07:32Chief Schultz: As you know, forest service does not have staff all over the place, so it is the permittees in many cases, whether it is a wildfire issue or insect and disease issue or invasive issue, the permittees will see that and let us know. They are the front line of defense in most cases making sure management occurs. We work with our permittees a lot --
▶ 1:07:53Sen. Marshall: That means active grazing is a good thing. Some prescriptive burns are a good thing, as well. I encourage you to think about what type of buffers you can put in there around or between whatever to break it up somehow. Certainly when you took this job , I thought one of the biggest challenges was the lack of management of our forests over the past decade or two. And that is a big reason that these fires get out of control.
▶ 1:08:21Sen. Marshall: Can you tell me what type of progress you're making on actively managing our forests to prevent some of these huge fires?
▶ 1:08:29Chief Schultz: Yes, active management is a broad thing. We have highlighted the importance of grazing working with permittees to increase grazing on the landscape and making it consistent with forest lands. We have looked at the timber sale program, increasing sales. We will increase it to about 4 billion more feet over the next three years. We have seen a 10% to 15% increase every year, and that will continue.
▶ 1:08:56Chief Schultz: In terms of fuels program, we treated more acres of prescribed fire this past season then over the last year, as well, by about an additional 500,000 acres.
▶ 1:09:07Sen. Marshall: Is that a 5% increase?
▶ 1:09:10Chief Schultz: Year over year, probably about a 40% increase year over year in terms of prescribed fire on landscapes.
▶ 1:09:18Sen. Marshall: What has allowed you to do that?
▶ 1:09:21Chief Schultz: It varies. It is based on where you do it and how much is done. Region eight, the southern region of the forest service, basically from texas across to georgia and south carolina, kentucky, tennessee, that area, if we can get out early in the season and get that fire on the landscape, it allows us to treat a lot of acres. So we can get more work done. This year, we can get more work done early in the season given the fire conditions.
▶ 1:09:48Chief Schultz: Right now, to burn a prescribed fire in the west does not make sense because conditions are so dry and hot. We have gone ahead of our fuels program this year compared to prior year, based on getting folks out on the ground. Those are some of the things we have done. In terms of overall management, we have increased forest management, grazing management, fuels treating, the key focus areas.
▶ 1:10:12Chief Schultz: On the fireside, I mentioned last season we had 12% more starts it is being aggressive with how we treat the landscapes.
▶ 1:10:31Sen. Marshall: I want to point out that we are all concerned about the cost of housing and we hope that by allowing the forest being harvested appropriately, that will bring down the costs, as well. Briefly, what would keep you from doing more management of the forest? What do you meet front -- need from us to enable you?
▶ 1:10:56Chief Schultz: Senator marshall, Mr. chairman, the question was asked about fofa, and we think that is a good provision. It will provide efficient -- additional tools. Short term, that is probably the biggest impact you could give us.
▶ 1:11:16Chair Boozman: Senator schiff.
▶ 1:11:17Sen. Schiff: Thank you. I think many of us can agree that there are inefficiencies in the wake forest service does business in the past. And that the agency is facing increasing costs, including expensive real estate. I think congress needs to provide your agency with more resources, because we are asking you to do more, and we are forcing you to do more with less.
▶ 1:11:43Sen. Schiff: But this reorganization proposal is causing great concern, particularly because it is put forward without congressional input. I want to submit this l.a. Times article that ran yesterday, for the record, former secretaries of agriculture, president clinton, and president, raising important oversight concerns with the rear renovation proposal. The forest service is too important to be a political pawn, this is the piece.
▶ 1:12:15Sen. Schiff: The U.S. forestry service reorganization website does six of eight research and development research slated for closure in california. This is more than any other state. The website also lists r&d facilities that are still under evaluation, meaning there are dozens of other research and development sites across the country with unclear status. These research stations study wildfire risk and the most effective ways to restore land in a moore's wrist -- more resilient way after wildfires.
▶ 1:12:46Sen. Schiff: Chief schultz, the forest service has committed that wildfire response coordination during the fire season will not be affected by the reorganization. But how can we be sure of the forest service possibility to reduce wildfire risks in the future? How can we be sure there will not be harmed by shutting down these research stations, which study wildfire risks and resilient response methods?
▶ 1:13:10Sen. Schiff: The president's budget proposal to eliminate the forest service research and development branch does not give much confidence that this key science will be valued properly. In particular, why was california hit so hard by targeted facility closures? Understand we may have more facilities and some other states, but no state faces wildfire risks more acute than california.
▶ 1:13:35Sen. Schiff: And what criteria are being used to determine that these offices should be closed or if other offices should be closed?
▶ 1:13:46Chief Schultz: Senator schiff, Mr. chairman, thank you for the questions. Let's talk about wildfire in california. You made a statement which I 100% agree with, saying there is probably more risk to california than any other state. 100% true. When we look at the data for california at the last five years, it is about 20 2% of the national forest have burned in the last five years in california, about 20 million acres. I have been to california four times, southern, northern, central, licking myself on the ground.
▶ 1:14:19Chief Schultz: Huge impacts from wildfire in california, as you know first hand from being there. In terms of our resources, we are resourced in california to make sure we have the ability to fight fire effectively. In terms of research, I have met with researchers at the pacific southwest station, they are doing great work. I want to assure you, you're looking for assurances, we are not going to reduce research in california, not reduce research elsewhere.
▶ 1:14:43Chief Schultz: What we're looking at is looking at our facilities and making sure where where we have facilities, are there opportunities to go look at staff. In some cases we have facilities and 10 miles on the run we have supervisors. We have two facilities that we can consolidate and have staff in one and save the government money. That is what our intent is, look closely where we have facilities, not to impact research, not to impact researchers. That is our intent. That is how we have structured this reorganization.
▶ 1:15:12Chief Schultz: You are right, we will continue to focus on working to reduce fuels and by fire aggressively in california, protect those communities and people in california.
▶ 1:15:20Sen. Schiff: As the usda or forest service that any analysis of the attrition that may come as a result of the reorganization? I'm not aware of any if it's been done. Has it been done?
▶ 1:15:32Mr. Schultz: Senator schiff , Mr. chairman, we have not done any speculations as to what may happen. Over the last year, we have had 6500 people that have taken drp, voluntary retirement program offered across the country. We anticipate right now folks would have to be relocated from the current location from portland, milwaukee, washington, D.C.
▶ 1:15:59Mr. Schultz: Office, and atlanta, about 5000 people of about 30,000 would have to physically relocate. Some percentage of those could theoretically choose not to relocate. We don't anticipate over all that it will be a significant number of people. Most people have probably already left the agency.
▶ 1:16:18Sen. Schiff: With the planned cuts to staff, anticipated attrition, will the forest service have enough red carded staff to meet firefighting needs if we end up with a national fire preparedness level of five?
▶ 1:16:32Sen. Schiff: Senator schiff, Mr. chairman, we have more red carded folks this year than we had in the last several years. We have increased our folks by about 450 people that are prepared to fight fires. We feel we have done outreach over the past year just to shore up that component of our firefighting capacity, red carded personnel.
▶ 1:16:55Sen. Schiff: On the fire fighters which we typically look at as gs9 and below, today we are just at 11,000 people that we have hired and brought on board before the height of the fire season. Typically in mid to late june, so we are ahead of where we have been the last several years with bringing on our firefighting workforce.
▶ 1:17:13Sen. Schiff: Thank, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:17:16Chair Boozman: Senator slotkin
▶ 1:17:21Sen. Slotkin: Thank you, Mr. chairman. Thank you for calling this hearing. Glad to have administration witnesses. I want to do that more often. I am from michigan. We feel a well-functioning forest service is critical to the state of michigan. More than half of michigan is forested.
▶ 1:17:41Sen. Slotkin: Michigan's forest industries provide direct employment for 40,000 people, $16.2 billion in economic output, and then our forests are key to our recreation economy, just getting out and about, attracting young families to move to the state of michigan. Angel the state of michigan. We get 35 million state visitors to our parks. We care about forest management.
▶ 1:18:09Sen. Slotkin: We care about our environment, we care about conservation and shepherding our natural gifts for the next generation. I was just in northern michigan this past week visiting with a ton of people including at our national lakeshore who are involved in conservation. We are concerned about wildfires. We don't have the same problem california has but we did just have a wildfire.
▶ 1:18:33Sen. Slotkin: Even though we see more and more need for the forest service, you all have lost 6000 employees out of 35,000 in 2025, 60% of your workforce, 100 and michigan.
▶ 1:18:51Sen. Slotkin: In cutting those people, you also have a proposal on the table to cut four research stations, all of our research stations in michigan, east lansing, boylston,, have us based out of madison, wisconsin, along with the other midwestern states. We feel like it is crucial for r&d, our forestry products, also for conservation to have people actually working in the state.
▶ 1:19:22Sen. Slotkin: Have you visited in your current capacity the state of michigan?
▶ 1:19:25Sen. Slotkin: I have not been to michigan.
▶ 1:19:29Sen. Slotkin: Before any decision goes final, I would love for you to come to michigan, commit to at least getting a ground-up review of what these r&d closures will need in four locations across the state. For us, it is critical that we don't lose that expertise. We were up in northern michigan, this bug that has been devastating michigan forests. The effort to stop that in its tracks and prevention was led by these research offices.
▶ 1:20:04Sen. Slotkin: Can you first commit to that? Then explained to us how it is we could lose 100 staff in michigan but somehow you think the mission of your service is still well fulfilled in our state.
▶ 1:20:19Mr. Schultz: Senator slotkin, Mr. chairman, what we have seen is when people took drp, nobody was fired, people voluntarily took it. They took it for different reasons in different capacities. What will happen with the reorganization is over time we expect more resources to go to the field. Folks that have been in a regional office, in the washington office, those positions over time we feel will transition more to forest.
▶ 1:20:47Mr. Schultz: The 100 people you referenced, over time, we will have staff that will go back there, whether we hire new staff or staff that transition from other locations.
▶ 1:20:55Sen. Slotkin: Why would you ever have an expectation of staff coming in and backfilling when you are closing all four offices in my state?
▶ 1:21:03Mr. Schultz: Senator, I'm talking about, on the forest personnel -- you talked about --
▶ 1:21:10Sen. Slotkin: These are working in the forest.
▶ 1:21:13Mr. Schultz: We are talking facilities, not research programs. Not researchers. We are talking about facilities. Making sure that folks have the right facilities but also that we are consolidating where we can. We are not just going to unilaterally close offices without evaluating. It could be another usda office. We have multiple instances. We have four supervisors within 10 miles of a research facility.
▶ 1:21:43Mr. Schultz: We are paying rent on both facilities. We could easily consolidate one building or the other.
▶ 1:21:47Sen. Slotkin: I'm open to that. I was a fed for 16 years. Lord knows there is fat on the bone. I would just as for you to visit a place before you close four offices, and just get that on the ground look, so we are not just cutting. We burned a lot of capital with people through doge, random cutting, lines on a spreadsheet. I would ask you to come to michigan and talk with folks.
▶ 1:22:16Sen. Slotkin: If you continue to make the decisions, fine, but not in a way that does not respect the on the ground view of things.
▶ 1:22:22Mr. Schultz: You talked about state in your own interest, forest management. I just want to shout out michigan, a state that have done more good neighbor work than any other state in the country.
▶ 1:22:33Chair Boozman: Did you hear that, Mr. chairman?
▶ 1:22:36Sen. Slotkin: Don't try to butter me up. You still have to come to michigan.
▶ 1:22:41Mr. Schultz: The state of michigan has done more than any other state in the last three years consistently. We appreciate the partnership we have.
▶ 1:22:49Sen. Slotkin: We would love to host you. I want you to make objective decisions but with the expertise of what you just said, the best state in the country on forest service. Thank you, Mr. chairman. I yield back.
▶ 1:23:02Sen. Klobuchar: Good neighbor service. It was very impressive.
▶ 1:23:06Chair Boozman: Senator lujan.
▶ 1:23:10Sen. Lujan: A thank, Mr. chairman. Chief schultz, in an investment webinar last week, the president of a canadian mining company, gamma resources, said that he has plans to begin drilling for uranium exploration in the second quarter of 2027 in the carson national forest. It was a very specific public forecast from the company and president to potential investors.
▶ 1:23:38Sen. Lujan: Can you confirm if that is accurate, the timeline associated with the announcement from gamma resources?
▶ 1:23:46Mr. Schultz: Senator lujan, Mr. chairman, I did not hear the statement, so I cannot confirm.
▶ 1:23:53Sen. Lujan: I am telling you he said it. I can send you the script. Let me ask you this then, if you can confirm. Is there a mining company from canada whose name is gamma resources who has made application and is going to start mining uranium in new mexico and the second quarter of 2027? Have you approved such a thing?
▶ 1:24:15Mr. Schultz: We have not approved.
▶ 1:24:17Sen. Lujan: Sound like they are lying then. If you have not approved it, I don't know how the president of a canadian company that is change their name three times, in a financial hole, is telling shareholders, give me some money because we are going to go mine. And they have gotten approval yet.
▶ 1:24:36Mr. Schultz: Here is what we have from them. They made an application for next -- permitting for exploration. To get a mind permitted, you have to go through an entire yell yes process after you do exploration. I would find it challenging to expect to have a mine up and running in 27.
▶ 1:24:54Sen. Lujan: I appreciate that. Are you aware that I send you a letter on april 9, went to the local forestry? Are you familiar with it?
▶ 1:25:04Mr. Schultz: I don't recall offhand, but -- I don't recall. .
▶ 1:25:10Sen. Lujan: I will give you a copy of this as well so that you have it.
▶ 1:25:14Chair Boozman: Without objection.
▶ 1:25:16Sen. Lujan: I just want to take the opportunity today to make it clear to everybody listening including everyone in the room, this mine and this company from canada are not welcome in mexico, change their name three times to hide their name come in a financial hole, coming and making false statements. Where I come from, that is a lie. It is either true or not true.
▶ 1:25:43Sen. Lujan: He is trying to convince people to give him money so he can come to the united states and go mine uranium in a place where the united states should care, not just because of this community, but the water that flows from this will have impacts with compact with new mexico, texas, and agreements with the united states and mexico with waterflow. That could all be jeopardize with what is going on.
▶ 1:26:07Sen. Lujan: I want to be abundantly clear, after coming from a town hall in the community where they have been organizing, democrats, republicans, libertarians, ranchers in the area, very conservative constituents of mine. They are saying hell no, this is not going to happen. For anyone listening, I hope they put this on their webinar. This will not go out for them in new mexico.
▶ 1:26:32Sen. Lujan: Everything I can do as an incumbent united states senator, working with the governor of new mexico, working with the local county commission who were all on the same page, democrats and republicans, this will not go well. Please stay away. Even this nonsense you are talking about with this exploratory environment they have created, something back in 68, 69, I don't get it.
▶ 1:26:56Sen. Lujan: By the way, if those happens, all those ranchers that are up there that this president says he loves and wants to take care of, you are going to throw them out of business. I certainly hope there is a lot of thought that goes into this as we had this conversation going forward. Last thing I will say, chief. Something my constituents that live in these communities was offended by is the way that this company characterized -- I don't even know what to call it.
▶ 1:27:27Sen. Lujan: Bamboozle. They called it low hanging fruit for uranium mining. That is what they think of these people and this land. I don't get it. I appreciate your response today. I will make sure I share a copy of this letter. I look forward to working with you and the team. I want to make it abundantly clear of the sentiments and feelings of the constituents, ranchers, those that are raising cattle, beef, sheep, lamb, they don't want to see this.
▶ 1:27:57Sen. Lujan: I hope we can work together in that space. Thank you.
▶ 1:28:00Chair Boozman: Thank you. Ok, I've got to get this right or they will yell at me later
▶ 1:28:31Chair Boozman: On. We appreciate you very much. Do you have anything?
▶ 1:28:35Sen. Klobuchar: I would just follow up with the grants in writing. Thank you for being here today.
▶ 1:28:40Chair Boozman: I think this was a very good hearing. We appreciate your willingness to come out as always to talk about really the very, very important things that we discussed today.
▶ 1:28:52Sen. Klobuchar: One thing that she was aware of, the concern on our side in a big way about reductions, especially reductions in research. Especially for the fire states that have wildfires. You pointed out california. I did appreciate the knowledge that you brought to the hearing, your clear willingness to work with us. Thank you.
▶ 1:29:15Chair Boozman: Very good. The hearing record will remain open for five business days. The hearing is adjourned.