Mike Boren, President Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Forest Service, is under fire for diverting geothermal water from federal land to heat his Idaho ranch without the agency’s full approval.
Marc Heller reports for E&E News.
In short:
- Mike Boren’s family ranch in Idaho tapped a geothermal stream on Forest Service land for heating, sparking a regulatory dispute that may fall under his future oversight if confirmed.
- Though the ranch holds state water rights, federal permits appear to be missing, raising concerns about potential violations of Forest Service rules and the National Environmental Policy Act.
- Critics worry Boren’s past clashes with federal agencies and legal threats against locals suggest he may erode environmental protections if placed in charge of the Forest Service.
Key quote:
“Federal laws respecting water rights do not give the holders of those rights a license to run roughshod over federal lands.”
— Andy Stahl, executive director of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics
Why this matters:
Boren’s nomination comes at a moment when the agency is under pressure to balance economic development with conservation mandates, especially in biodiversity hotspots like Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley. The presence of salmon swimming thousands of miles to spawn through these lands underscores the biological and cultural stakes. If the nominee’s personal land-use conflicts shape Forest Service policy, it could erode trust in environmental governance and embolden private interests to flout federal rules.
Learn more: Drilling expert shifts from oil and gas to geothermal energy
