Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks

John Hickenlooper

Democrat · U.S. Senate · Colorado

89%

Ranked #29 (tied) of 98 scored

Scored 80 to 89%. Seat on the 2026 ballot.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado, earns a B on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 19 scored Senate votes, Hickenlooper cast 17 for public lands and 2 against. The two closest: Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1), 50 to 50, and Nay on Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban (H.J.Res.140), 50 to 49. Hickenlooper's seat is on the ballot in November 2026.

Every scored vote: 19 of 19 U.S. Senate votes counted

Pro-lands
Lilly Fish and Wildlife and Parks (En Bloc) S.Res.817
En bloc confirmation of 74 nominees under S.Res.817, including Kevin Lilly as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, the official overseeing the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lilly, a Texas wealth manager, drew formal opposition from the National Parks Conservation Association, and senators from both parties questioned his lack of land management experience. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Nay · August 7, 2026 · Roll call 225, 51 to 47
Pro-lands
Pearce BLM Director (En Bloc) S.Res.690
En bloc confirmation of 49 nominees under S.Res.690, including Stevan Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, the agency managing 245 million acres of public land. As a congressman, Pearce repeatedly backed transferring or selling federal public land. Confirmed 46-43. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Nay · May 18, 2026 · Roll call 125, 46 to 43
Pro-lands
Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban H.J.Res.140
CRA resolution overturning the 20-year mining ban on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the most visited wilderness in America. Became Public Law 119-85.
Voted Nay · April 16, 2026 · Roll call 84, 50 to 49
Pro-lands
Opening Arctic Refuge to Drilling H.J.Res.131
CRA resolution overturning the 2024 environmental protections for oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, stripping safeguards from the 1.56-million-acre coastal plain calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd
Voted Nay · December 4, 2025 · Roll call 632, 49 to 45
Pro-lands
Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) H.J.Res.130
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's 2024 Buffalo Field Office resource management plan amendment in Wyoming, which made approximately 413,000 acres of federal coal unavailable for future leasing in the Powder River Basin.
Voted Nay · November 20, 2025 · Roll call 623, 51 to 43
Pro-lands
Opening Western Arctic to Drilling S.J.Res.80
CRA resolution nullifying the 2022 management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which had closed about half of the 23-million-acre Western Arctic reserve to new oil and gas leasing
Voted Nay · October 30, 2025 · Roll call 599, 52 to 45
Pro-lands
Overturning Central Yukon Protections (AK) H.J.Res.106
CRA resolution nullifying the Bureau of Land Management's Central Yukon resource management plan in Alaska, which designated 21 areas of critical environmental concern covering approximately 3.6 million acres. The resolution removed a land-plan barrier to the Ambler Road, which would cross Gates of the Arctic National Preserve; the administration had restored the road's federal permits three days earlier. Became Public Law 119-50.
Voted Nay · October 9, 2025 · Roll call 560, 50 to 46
Pro-lands
Overturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) H.J.Res.104
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the Miles City Field Office in Montana, opening public lands to expanded industrial use
Voted Nay · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 549, 52 to 47
Pro-lands
Overturning North Dakota BLM Protections H.J.Res.105
CRA resolution rolling back Bureau of Land Management resource management plans for the North Dakota Field Office, removing protections from public lands across the state
Voted Nay · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 556, 50 to 45
Pro-lands
Boren USDA Under Secretary (En Bloc) S.Res.412
En bloc confirmation of 108 nominees under S.Res.412, including Michael Boren as USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, the official directly overseeing the U.S. Forest Service. Confirmed 51-47. Senators who voted Yea confirmed every nominee in the package.
Voted Nay · October 7, 2025 · Roll call 547, 51 to 47
Pro-lands
Nesvik USFWS Director PN25-35
Confirmed Brian Nesvik as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency responsible for endangered species protections and the National Wildlife Refuge System
Voted Nay · August 1, 2025 · Roll call 470, 54 to 43
Pro-lands
One Big Beautiful Bill H.R.1
Reconciliation bill mandating four Arctic Refuge Coastal Plain lease sales, five National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lease sales, a four-million-acre coal leasing mandate, coal royalty rate cuts from 12.5% to 7%, a 250-million-board-foot yearly increase in national forest timber sales through 2034, and rescinding Inflation Reduction Act conservation funding
Voted Nay · July 1, 2025 · Roll call 372, 50 to 50
Pro-lands
Vaden Deputy Agriculture PN12-43
Confirmed Stephen Vaden as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, second in command of the department that houses the U.S. Forest Service
Voted Nay · June 10, 2025 · Roll call 301, 51 to 44
Pro-lands
MacGregor Deputy Interior PN13-10
Confirmed Katharine MacGregor as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the department's chief operating officer, who led first-term efforts to shrink national monuments and expand drilling on public lands
Voted Nay · May 14, 2025 · Roll call 250, 54 to 40
Pro-lands
Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards H.J.Res.60
CRA resolution overturning the National Park Service rule limiting off-road vehicle use in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, reopening those routes to motorized use
Voted Nay · May 8, 2025 · Roll call 239, 50 to 43
Pro-lands
Preventing Public Lands Sell-Off S.Amdt.2107
Budget resolution amendment (H.Con.Res.14) to bar the use of proceeds from selling federal public land for deficit reduction, the Senate's recorded vote on public land sales ahead of the reconciliation bill
Voted Yea · April 5, 2025 · Roll call 181, 48 to 51
Pro-lands
Reinstating Fired Land Managers S.Amdt.540
Budget resolution amendment (S.Con.Res.7) creating a reserve fund to reinstate the federal employees fired from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service
Voted Yea · February 20, 2025 · Roll call 68, 48 to 52
Anti-lands
Rollins Agriculture Confirmation PN11-12
Confirmed Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture, who oversees the U.S. Forest Service and 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands
Voted Yea · February 13, 2025 · Roll call 53, 72 to 28
Anti-lands
Burgum Confirmation PN11-3
Confirmed Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior, who oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, despite his stated agenda to expand oil and gas extraction on public land
Voted Yea · January 30, 2025 · Roll call 26, 80 to 17

Roll calls and tallies from senate.gov, read October 26, 2026. Which side counts as pro-lands is the scorecard's call on each vote (methodology). Provision ratings: none of these bills has an approved rating yet, so none is named here.

Call Senator Hickenlooper through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Open the full record in the scorecard

Public lands bills Hickenlooper sponsors or cosponsors

In the 119th Congress, Hickenlooper sponsors 1 and cosponsors 16 public lands bills.

S.1341 Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act
Sponsor · Introduced April 8, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.5630 Ensure sufficient bonding and complete and timely reclamation of land and water disturbed by Federal and Indian oil and gas production, amending the Mineral Leasing Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on September 30, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.Res.837 Designating the week of August 22 through August 30, 2026, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on August 6, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.4455 Public Lands Integrity Act
Cosponsor · Signed on May 20, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.1228 Modify the cost-sharing requirement for conservation projects carried out by a qualified youth or conservation corps, amending the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993
Cosponsor · Signed on January 29, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.3429 Encouraging Public Service in Our National Parks and Public Land Act
Cosponsor · Signed on December 11, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.602 Wildfire Resilience Through Grazing Research Act
Cosponsor · Signed on September 16, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2042 Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2025
Cosponsor · Signed on June 26, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.356 Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025
Cosponsor · Signed on May 15, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1787 Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on May 15, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1791 Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act of 2025
Original cosponsor · Signed on May 15, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.Res.180 Designating the week of April 19 through April 27, 2025, as "National Park Week"
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 10, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1462 Fix Our Forests Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on April 10, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.950 Save Our Forests Act of 2025
Original cosponsor · Signed on March 11, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.764 Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on February 27, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.453 Wildfire Intelligence Collaboration and Coordination Act of 2025
Original cosponsor · Signed on February 6, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.290 Making National Parks Safer Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on January 29, 2025 · Not yet rated

Bills and cosponsors from the congress.gov API, read October 1, 2026. A bill is rated only when a named person approves a rating that quotes its provision; none of these has one yet.

Hickenlooper's committees

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Energy; Public Lands, Forests, and Mining; Water and Power
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Aviation, Space, and Innovation; Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy (Ranking Member); Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness; Telecommunications and Media
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Employment and Workplace Safety (Ranking Member); Primary Health and Retirement Security
Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Committee seats from unitedstates/congress-legislators, read July 3, 2026.

Public lands in Colorado

757 federal land units lie in or reach into Colorado. Parks with a More Than Just Parks guide: Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Listed park guides first, then by size; the largest 40 of 757 are named.

Rocky Mountain National Park 265,475 acres
Great Sand Dunes National Park 104,902 acres
Mesa Verde National Park 53,445 acres
Great Sand Dunes National Preserve 41,702 acres
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park 30,272 acres
White River National Forest 2,289,637 acres
San Juan National Forest 1,865,968 acres
Rio Grande National Forest 1,839,117 acres
Gunnison National Forest 1,666,609 acres
White River Field Office 1,450,231 acres
Little Snake Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 1,337,954 acres
Grand Junction Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 1,275,594 acres
Routt National Forest 1,125,600 acres
San Isabel National Forest 1,108,492 acres
Pike National Forest 1,097,242 acres
Uncompahgre National Forest 952,909 acres
Uncompahgre Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 880,205 acres
Roosevelt National Forest 814,395 acres
Arapaho National Forest 720,679 acres
Royal Gorge Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 670,237 acres
Gunnison Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 659,389 acres
Tres Rios Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 632,194 acres
Colorado River Valley Field Office 570,728 acres
San Luis Valley Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 500,459 acres
Weminuche Wilderness 500,310 acres
Comanche National Grassland 443,611 acres
Kremmling Field Office Bureau of Land Management · 377,575 acres
Grand Mesa National Forest 345,933 acres
Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area 249,268 acres
Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site Defense Department · 235,507 acres
Flat Tops Wilderness 231,063 acres
Dominguez/Escalante National Conservation Area 218,115 acres
Pawnee National Grassland 192,945 acres
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness 182,964 acres
Canyons Of The Ancients National Monument 182,564 acres
Sangre De Cristo Wilderness 179,340 acres
West Elk Wilderness 176,431 acres
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness 166,226 acres
South San Juan Wilderness 161,010 acres
Mount Zirkel Wilderness 160,505 acres

Fires burning on public land in Colorado

Aspen Acres Fire 102,007 acres, 94% contained, updated October 23, 2026
Willow Fire 7,359 acres, 92% contained, updated October 13, 2026
Gold Mountain Fire 39,747 acres, 92% contained, updated October 13, 2026

Drilling, mining and logging on record in Colorado: 3,341 hardrock mining claims (76,844 acres); 2,438 oil and gas leases (2,160,664 acres); 493 timber sales (23,267 acres); 53 coal leases (153,575 acres); 29 sand and gravel sales (21,643 acres).

Threatened public lands in Colorado

Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the state's districts in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 21, 2026; acres are each unit's full size, and units overlap, so they are not added up. Easements on private land are left out. Fires from NIFC; mining claims, leases and timber sales from BLM and Forest Service records; read October 26, 2026.

Who funds Hickenlooper on lands issues

PACs and other committees gave Hickenlooper's campaign $1,074,851 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave $12,500, and conservation PACs gave $29,396.

Cycle	All PACs and committees	Oil and gas	Mining and coal	Timber	Conservation
2019-20	$1,752,784	none	none	none	$20,471
2021-22	$65,498	none	none	none	$1,000
2023-24	$121,750	$3,500	none	none	none
2025-26	$1,074,851	$9,000	none	none	$7,925

Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC S0CO00575), net of refunds, read October 26, 2026. Industry is the giving PAC's industry in the More Than Just Parks record. A contribution says who gave, not why anyone voted as they did.

How Hickenlooper compares

The median senator scores 5%. Hickenlooper scores 89% and ranks #29 (tied) of 98.

More from Colorado

Sen. Michael Bennet B · Rep. Diana DeGette A+ · Rep. Joe Neguse A+ · Rep. Jeff Hurd F · Rep. Lauren Boebert F · Rep. Jeff Crank F · Rep. Jason Crow A+ · Rep. Brittany Pettersen A · Rep. Gabe Evans F

What to ask Hickenlooper

Washington office: 316 Hart Senate Office Building. Phone (202) 224-5941. Write to Hickenlooper · Official site

From Hickenlooper's own record:

Why did you vote Yea on Rollins Agriculture Confirmation (PN11-12)?
Why did you vote Yea on Burgum Confirmation (PN11-3)?

Offices and phones from the Senate and House member feeds and unitedstates/congress-legislators, checked October 22, 2026.

Questions people ask

How did John Hickenlooper vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?

John Hickenlooper voted Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1) on July 1, 2025. The Senate vote was 50 to 50, and the scorecard counts Nay as the vote for public lands.

Is John Hickenlooper up for election in 2026?

Yes. John Hickenlooper's Senate seat from Colorado is on the ballot in November 2026. Hickenlooper's grade on the 19 scored Senate votes so far is a B.

What public lands are in Colorado?

757 federal land units lie in or reach into Colorado. The largest are White River National Forest (2,289,637 acres), San Juan National Forest (1,865,968 acres) and Rio Grande National Forest (1,839,117 acres).