Heinrich Grills BLM Official on Proposal for Gravel Mine in Placitas, Emphasizes Inadequate Pay for Firefighters, Underscores Impacts of Trump Administration’s Cuts to Forest Service Workforce

On Staffing and Funding Cuts to the Forest Service 

Heinrich began his questioning by addressing substantial cuts to the Forest Service and the impacts it is having on operations, “Mr. French, we've seen a pretty substantial cut in the workforce in New Mexico, in the Forest Service. We've seen that on the Santa Fe National Forest, we've seen it on the Carson National Forest, the Cibola, the Lincoln, the Gila. It's been felt across the system from issues like trail maintenance to processing permits for outfitter guides, to wildfire preparedness. The bills that we're talking about today direct your agency to do a number of things, to take actions and undertake new endeavors and new policies. All of which require an adequate workforce. How many National Forest System staff would actually be needed to fulfill your mission? All of the things that the Congress has tasked the National Forest System to do and to properly manage the roughly 193 million acres of land that the U.S. Forest Service manages?” 

French replied, “That's a big question.”  

Heinrich responded, “And I bet the Forest Service has looked at this.”  

French said, “We have.”  

Heinrich pushed, “I bet there's an answer.” 

French answered, highlighting the inadequate funding and staffing levels at the U.S. Forest Service, “So, I mean, the reality is if you look at the requirements of statutes of what we're told and asked to accomplish there, the needs for funding and staffing far exceed the requirements that are placed on us to manage those to standard. We manage the largest trail system in the country. 165,000 miles of trails, and yet, the staffing that we have and the budgets that we have, we struggle to maintain up to a third of it a year. "Now, I mean, we are working to overcome the things you just talked about. Today, we're announcing 2,000 summer hires, recreation hires, to assist us in overcoming that work. We've been in a place of getting our workforce to a more sustainable level, to the budgets we have. But we do, we have done that work. We can certainly share it with you. I'm not prepared today to give you.”  

Heinrich replied, “I would appreciate it if you can share that with us.” 

French confirmed, “You bet.”  

On Insufficient Pay for Firefighters  

Heinrich followed, “Do we pay our firefighters enough?”  

French asked, “In my opinion?”  

Heinrich responded, “Yeah.”  

Heinrich reiterated, “In your opinion.” 

French said, “I want to be thoughtful here, because I don't have with me a particular position from an administration, but as a past firefighter myself...” 

French stated, “...When I look at what we asked them to do and watching over the last 20 years, our fire seasons becoming larger and larger, putting more and more demands on them and their families. And when I look at what is being compensated at state levels, I think there's work to do there.” 

On Staffing and Funding Cuts to the Bureau of Land Management 

Heinrich asked BLM Nevada State Director Jon Raby how many staff are necessary to carry out the agency’s work, “Mr. Raby, same question. You manage, the BLM, manages 246 million acres. How many folks would we need to adequately manage that?” 

Raby answered, “Senator, thank you for the question. And of course, in the Bureau of Land Management, we have an organization of about 9,000 employees, manage 245 million acres. We receive about $5.75 per acre to manage these lands, which, we've always been a lean organization. We've been very focused, again, on our mission delivery and at the same time, ensuring that we have organizational efficiency and workforce optimization. So, we've always had these sort of competing objectives at times, but they're complementary objectives as well. And so, while, again, we may not have always received what we may have desired, we can't look on ourselves and say we're going to be woeful about what we don't have. We are very focused on what we do have. And then we set our priorities accordingly. And of course, we're fully staffed in our wildland fire organization as well as law enforcement and energy and minerals. And then we certainly rely on a lot of partners to help us between state and local organizations as well.” 

On the BLM Disregarding Community Input for a Proposed Gravel Mine in a Residential Area in Placitas, New Mexico 

Heinrich asked Raby whether he thought it was appropriate to move forward with a gravel mine project in Placitas, New Mexico. “The parcels that were identified for withdrawal in the Buffalo Tract Protection Act make up roughly a little over 4,000 acres. One of my concerns is that they're kind of scattered through residential neighborhoods. So, the impacts of a gravel mine amongst a residential community would be felt pretty acutely. And, residents are rightly worried about health impacts, noise, particulate pollution, as well as disruption to wildlife in the area. I mean, that's kind of the reason why there is, to my knowledge, no real opposition to this legislation. There's literally a gravel mine just down the road that is very successful, and people are okay with because it's not in the middle of a residential community. Do you think that a suburban neighborhood is the appropriate place for a gravel mine?” 

Raby responded, “Senator, thank you again for the question. And when we look at the proposal for mineral withdrawals that can preclude opportunities and options for again, what we believe is responsible development that can take into account local considerations...” 

Heinrich interjected, “I'm sorry, Mr. Raby. How is it responsible to put a very noisy, very particulate, heavy, industrial activity in the middle of a suburban neighborhood? I don't understand the ‘responsible’ part of that statement.” 

Raby replied, “We go through a lengthy process between the environmental reviews.”  

Heinrich interrupted, pointing out the community’s significant opposition to the BLM’s gravel mine proposal, “I know the process because I heard about it from all of the community members in that area. I don't know of anyone who supports this. Your position, the BLM position, has literally no community support. Do you listen to the community before you make a decision like that?” 

Raby answered, “Well, Senator, of course, we listen to the community. We have our local line officers, our district managers, field managers, who absolutely are engaged with the community, and they have to also account for the national policy direction. We have a declared National Energy Emergency, which, by reference, includes a Mineral Emergency.” 

Heinrich pushed back, pointing out Raby’s inconsistencies in logic, “How does producing gravel solve the National Energy Emergency?” 

Raby responded, “Yeah, it's a mineral resource,” 

Raby continued, “That again, provides opportunity for development.”  

Heinrich interjected, “Which we produce five miles away. In abundance.” 

Raby conceded, “Your point is well taken. I understand.” 

Heinrich continued, “My point is that your policy in this case is completely disconnected from the local community. And while we have very wide opinions on this Committee, where we get crosswise is when there is a federal policy dictated from Washington, D.C. that is completely disconnected. And this is like where Senator Murkowski and I actually agree. It's where Senator Daines and I actually agree. When we get in trouble, is when we don't listen to the local community. And in this case, it is my view that the Administration and the BLM is completely ignoring the local community. And so Ranking Member Cortez Masto, I want to enter into the record, if there's no objection, all of the community groups, from local Tribes to the county, to the local municipality, to the neighborhood association that this would impact, their views on the Buffalo Tract Protection Act.”  

Cortez Masto confirmed entering the community statements of support for the Buffalo Tract Protection Act, into the record, “Without objection.”  

Heinrich concluded his questions, “Thank you.” 

A list of endorsements and statements of support for the Buffalo Tract Protection Act are here.