Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks

Joni Ernst

Republican · U.S. Senate · Iowa

Ranked #54 (tied) of 98 scored

Scored under 60%. Seat on the 2026 ballot.

Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, earns an F on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 19 scored Senate votes, Ernst cast 0 for public lands and 18 against, and missed 1. The two closest: Yea on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1), 50 to 50, and Yea on Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban (H.J.Res.140), 50 to 49. Ernst's seat is on the ballot in November 2026.

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

Anti-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 Yea · August 7, 2026 · Roll call 225, 51 to 47
Anti-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 Yea · May 18, 2026 · Roll call 125, 46 to 43
Anti-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 Yea · April 16, 2026 · Roll call 84, 50 to 49
Anti-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 Yea · December 4, 2025 · Roll call 632, 49 to 45
Anti-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 Yea · November 20, 2025 · Roll call 623, 51 to 43
Anti-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 Yea · October 30, 2025 · Roll call 599, 52 to 45
Anti-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 Yea · October 9, 2025 · Roll call 560, 50 to 46
Anti-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 Yea · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 549, 52 to 47
Anti-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 Yea · October 8, 2025 · Roll call 556, 50 to 45
Anti-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 Yea · October 7, 2025 · Roll call 547, 51 to 47
Anti-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 Yea · August 1, 2025 · Roll call 470, 54 to 43
Anti-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 Yea · July 1, 2025 · Roll call 372, 50 to 50
Anti-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 Yea · June 10, 2025 · Roll call 301, 51 to 44
Anti-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 Yea · May 14, 2025 · Roll call 250, 54 to 40
Missed
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
Did not vote · May 8, 2025 · Roll call 239, 50 to 43
Anti-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 Nay · April 5, 2025 · Roll call 181, 48 to 51
Anti-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 Nay · 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 Ernst through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Open the full record in the scorecard

Public lands bills Ernst sponsors or cosponsors

The record holds no public lands bill in the 119th Congress that Ernst sponsors or cosponsors.

Ernst's committees

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology; Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Food Safety; Rural Development, Energy, and Credit (Chairman)
Senate Committee on Armed Services
Cybersecurity; Emerging Threats and Capabilities (Chairman); Personnel
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs; Disaster Management, District of Columbia, and Census
Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (Chairman)

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

Public lands in Iowa

42 federal land units lie in or reach into Iowa.

Listed by size; the largest 40 of 42 are named.

Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area 44,041 acres
Coralville Recreation Area 34,527 acres
National Guard Camp Dodge Johnston Training Site Defense Department · 33,103 acres
Rathbun Recreation Area 32,752 acres
Saylorville Recreation Area 28,368 acres
Lake Red Rock Army Corps of Engineers · 27,461 acres
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge 22,733 acres
Iowa Army Ammunition Plant Defense Department · 21,520 acres
Rathbun Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 17,316 acres
Coralville Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 13,803 acres
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge 11,869 acres
Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge 11,840 acres
Dickinson County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 6,716 acres
Saylorville Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 5,295 acres
Kossuth County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 3,555 acres
Worth County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 3,091 acres
Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge 2,834 acres
Cerro Gordo County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 2,719 acres
Emmet County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 2,540 acres
Effigy Mounds National Monument 2,460 acres
Wright County Waterfowl Production Area Of Ia Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,918 acres
Wright County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,843 acres
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge 1,639 acres
Winnebago County Waterfowl Production Area Of Ia Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,547 acres
Winnebago County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,470 acres
Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge 1,220 acres
Greene County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,122 acres
Clay County Waterfowl Production Area Of Iowa Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,056 acres
Clay County Waterfowl Production Area Of Ia Fish and Wildlife Service · 1,056 acres
Sac County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 933 acres
Hancock County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 809 acres
Palo Alto County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 772 acres
Lansing Big Lake Fish and Wildlife Service · 704 acres
Pocahontas County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 648 acres
Boone County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 386 acres
Guthrie County Waterfowl Production Area Fish and Wildlife Service · 302 acres
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site 182 acres
Des Moines International Airport Defense Department · 162 acres
Polk County Waterfowl Production Area Of Ia Fish and Wildlife Service · 147 acres
Bullard-Soldiers Bend Army Corps of Engineers · 135 acres

None of the places on the threatened public lands map is in Iowa.

Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the state's districts in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 22, 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 Ernst on lands issues

PACs and other committees gave Ernst's campaign $349,320 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave $124,000, and conservation PACs gave nothing.

Cycle	All PACs and committees	Oil and gas	Mining and coal	Timber	Conservation
2019-20	$2,963,791	$56,000	$26,500	$12,000	none
2021-22	$199,400	none	none	none	none
2023-24	$801,196	$14,500	none	$5,000	none
2025-26	$349,320	$10,000	none	none	none

Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC S4IA00129), net of refunds, read September 13, 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 Ernst compares

The median senator scores 5%. Ernst scores 0% and ranks #54 (tied) of 98.

What to ask Ernst

Washington office: 260 Russell Senate Office Building. Phone (202) 224-3254. Write to Ernst · Official site

From Ernst's own record:

Why did you vote Yea on Lilly Fish and Wildlife and Parks (En Bloc) (S.Res.817)?
Why did you vote Yea on Pearce BLM Director (En Bloc) (S.Res.690)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban (H.J.Res.140)?
Why did you vote Yea on Opening Arctic Refuge to Drilling (H.J.Res.131)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) (H.J.Res.130)?
Why did you vote Yea on Opening Western Arctic to Drilling (S.J.Res.80)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Central Yukon Protections (AK) (H.J.Res.106)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) (H.J.Res.104)?
Why did you vote Yea on Overturning North Dakota BLM Protections (H.J.Res.105)?
Why did you vote Yea on Boren USDA Under Secretary (En Bloc) (S.Res.412)?
Why did you vote Yea on Nesvik USFWS Director (PN25-35)?
Why did you vote Yea on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1)?
Why did you vote Yea on Vaden Deputy Agriculture (PN12-43)?
Why did you vote Yea on MacGregor Deputy Interior (PN13-10)?
Why did you miss the vote on Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards (H.J.Res.60)?
Why did you vote Nay on Preventing Public Lands Sell-Off (S.Amdt.2107)?
Why did you vote Nay on Reinstating Fired Land Managers (S.Amdt.540)?
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 Joni Ernst vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?

Joni Ernst voted Yea 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 Joni Ernst up for election in 2026?

Yes. Joni Ernst's Senate seat from Iowa is on the ballot in November 2026. Ernst's grade on the 19 scored Senate votes so far is an F.

What public lands are in Iowa?

42 federal land units lie in or reach into Iowa. The largest are Ms Rv Pools 11-22 Recreation Area (44,041 acres), Coralville Recreation Area (34,527 acres) and National Guard Camp Dodge Johnston Training Site (33,103 acres).