James Hubbard
U.S. Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT), Cory Gardner
(R-CO) and John Hoeven (R-ND), as members of the Senate Western Caucus, last week spearheaded U.S. Senate confirmation of James Hubbard as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“As chair of the Senate Western Caucus, I led my colleagues in urging swift consideration of this nomination, and it’s great to see it happen,” Sen. Daines said. “Hubbard will play a critical role in advancing forest management reform and promoting better stewardship of our forest lands.
“I look forward to working together and bringing him to Big Sky Country,” the senator said, referring to his home state of Montana.
Sen. Hoeven noted that federal lands must be properly managed to prevent wildfires and lessen the impact of wildlife. “Further, the presence of federal lands has a real impact on local economies, which is why we stressed the importance of multiple use and ranchers’ access to the national grasslands to Under Secretary Hubbard in our meeting last month,” he said.
“We appreciate his commitment to ensure the Forest Service is a good neighbor, and we look forward to working with him in this new role,” added Sen. Hoeven.
Sen. Gardner pointed out that Under Secretary Hubbard is a fellow Coloradan who has ample experience to serve in his new USDA capacity, including 35 years at the Colorado Forest Service followed by positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service.
“Jim understands better than most the importance of healthy and well managed forests,” Sen. Gardner said. “I look forward to working with him on behalf of all Coloradans in his new role.”
Sen. Daines during a July 24 agriculture reform hearing on Capitol Hill, asked Hubbard to pledge he would address the need for proper forest management.
“I’m fighting for three buckets of reforms: reducing red tape; combating fringe litigation; and increasing the partnership between the Forest Service and State Foresters in managing our National Forests,” Sen. Daines testified. “And while recent legislation included good reforms, I want to say very clearly that Congress should and must do much, much, much more.”
Under Secretary Hubbard committed to restoring active forest management during both the hearing and when he met with Sen. Daines on July 12, according to the lawmaker’s staff.
Additionally, several members of the Senate Western Caucus, including Sens. Daines, Hoeven, and Gardner, among others, sent a July 18 letter to Senate leadership that included support for bringing Hubbard’s nomination to the full Senate for consideration.
The senators wrote that Hubbard had “extensive experience” in his professional field and his nomination was of “key importance to the West.”