Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks
Josh Gottheimer
Scored 90% or higher.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat representing New Jersey's 5th District, earns an A on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 17 scored House votes, Gottheimer cast 16 for public lands and 0 against, and missed 1. The two closest: Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1), 215 to 214, and Nay on Overturning Powder River Basin Coal Protections (WY) (H.J.Res.130), 214 to 212. Every House seat, this one included, is on the ballot in November 2026.
Every scored vote: 17 of 17 U.S. House votes counted
- Pro-landsProtecting Domestic Mining Act H.R.1501
Bill writing mining permanently into the FAST-41 fast track and barring the Permitting Council from limiting that treatment to critical minerals projects. Any mining infrastructure project on BLM or National Forest land qualifies for compressed environmental review. Passed the House 218-201 on September 2, 2026.
Voted Nay · September 2, 2026 · Roll call 294, 218 to 201
- Pro-landsLead Ammunition on Federal Lands (Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act) H.R.556
Bill barring the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service from banning lead ammunition or fishing tackle on federal land and water open to hunting or fishing, or regulating the lead in it, unless field data show lead is the main cause of a wildlife decline on that unit and the state agrees. Passed the House 215-202 on March 18, 2026.
Voted Nay · March 18, 2026 · Roll call 93
- Pro-landsCritical Mineral Dominance Act H.R.4090
Codifies provisions of Trump Executive Orders 14154 and 14241, directing Interior, in consultation with the Agriculture Department, to fast-track hardrock mining projects on BLM and National Forest land and inventory federal land for mining potential. The House rejected, 209-212, a motion to bar expedited treatment for mines owned by companies from China and other adversary nations.
Voted Nay · February 4, 2026 · Roll call 55, 224 to 195
- Pro-landsOverturning Boundary Waters Mining Ban H.J.Res.140
CRA resolution overturning the 20-year mineral withdrawal on about 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, opening the watershed to sulfide-ore copper mining. Became Public Law 119-85.
Voted Nay · January 21, 2026 · Roll call 38, 214 to 208
- Pro-landsSPEED Act H.R.4776
Bill rewriting the National Environmental Policy Act to narrow and speed federal environmental reviews, including for energy and mining projects on public lands, and to limit court challenges
Voted Nay · December 18, 2025 · Roll call 356, 221 to 196
- Pro-landsOpening Public Lands to Mining H.R.1366
Bill letting mining companies claim additional mill sites on public land for waste rock, tailings and processing without a valid mineral discovery, reversing the Rosemont Copper court decision
Voted Nay · December 18, 2025 · Roll call 358, 219 to 198
- Pro-landsGray Wolf Delisting (Pet and Livestock Protection Act) H.R.845
Bill requiring the reissue of the 2020 rule removing gray wolves in the lower 48 states, outside the Mexican wolf range, from the endangered species list, and barring court review of it. Sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO).
Voted Nay · December 18, 2025 · Roll call 360, 211 to 204
- Pro-landsOverturning 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 18, 2025 · Roll call 294, 214 to 212
- Pro-landsOpening 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 · November 18, 2025 · Roll call 295, 217 to 209
- Pro-landsOpening Western Arctic to Drilling S.J.Res.80
CRA resolution reversing land management safeguards to expand oil and gas drilling across Alaska's 23-million-acre Western Arctic reserve
Voted Nay · November 18, 2025 · Roll call 296, 216 to 209
- Pro-landsOverturning Miles City BLM Protections (MT) H.J.Res.104
CRA resolution rolling back the Bureau of Land Management plan amendment for the Miles City Field Office in Montana, which had ended new federal coal leasing in the state's Powder River Basin
Voted Nay · September 3, 2025 · Roll call 224, 211 to 208
- Pro-landsOverturning 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 effectively resurrected the Ambler Road project through Gates of the Arctic. Signed into law as Pub.L. 119-50.
Voted Nay · September 3, 2025 · Roll call 225, 215 to 210
- Pro-landsOverturning 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 · September 3, 2025 · Roll call 226, 215 to 211
- Pro-landsOne Big Beautiful Bill Final Passage H.R.1
Final passage of the reconciliation bill mandating quarterly oil and gas lease sales on public lands, requiring BLM to offer at least 50% of nominated acreage, and reducing royalty rates for drilling on federal land
Voted Nay · July 3, 2025 · Roll call 190, 218 to 214
- Pro-landsOne Big Beautiful Bill H.R.1
Reconciliation bill mandating Arctic Refuge and National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lease sales, a four-million-acre coal leasing mandate, and higher timber sale targets on federal land
Voted Nay · May 22, 2025 · Roll call 145, 215 to 214
- MissedOverturning 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 · April 29, 2025 · Roll call 110, 219 to 205
- Pro-landsFix Our Forests Act H.R.471
Bill expanding categorical exclusions from 3,000 to 10,000 acres for fuel-reduction and forest-health logging projects on national forests, letting large treatments skip environmental impact statements under NEPA
Voted Nay · January 23, 2025 · Roll call 25, 279 to 141
Roll calls and tallies from clerk.house.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 Representative Gottheimer through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Open the full record in the scorecardPublic lands bills Gottheimer sponsors or cosponsors
In the 119th Congress, Gottheimer sponsors 0 and cosponsors 7 public lands bills.
- H.R.9901 Provide that the final rule of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration titled "Rescinding the Definition of 'Harm' Under the Endangered Species Act" shall have no force or effect
Cosponsor · Signed on July 30, 2026 · Not yet rated
- H.R.ES1444 Expressing support for maintaining the designation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Original cosponsor · Signed on July 21, 2026 · Not yet rated
- H.R.9250 Great American Outdoors Act 250
Original cosponsor · Signed on June 10, 2026 · Not yet rated
- H.J.Res.111 A resolution to overturn the Barred Owl Management Strategy
Original cosponsor · Signed on July 23, 2025 · Not yet rated
- H.R.1383 Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025
Cosponsor · Signed on June 25, 2025 · Not yet rated
- H.R.2881 COAST Anti-Drilling Act of 2025
Cosponsor · Signed on June 12, 2025 · Not yet rated
- H.R.249 Redesignate certain facilities at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in honor of Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr
Original cosponsor · Signed on January 9, 2025 · Not yet rated
Bills and cosponsors from the congress.gov API, read September 16, 2026. A bill is rated only when a named person approves a rating that quotes its provision; none of these has one yet.
Gottheimer's committees
- House Committee on Financial Services
Capital Markets; Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence; National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions
- House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Defense Intelligence and Overhead Architecture; National Security Agency and Cyber (Ranking Member)
Committee seats from unitedstates/congress-legislators, read July 3, 2026.
Public lands in New Jersey's 5th District
2 federal land units lie in or reach into New Jersey's 5th District.
Listed by size.
- Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge 5,671 acres
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail 1,222 acres
None of the places on the threatened public lands map is in New Jersey.
Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the district in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 25, 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 Gottheimer on lands issues
PACs and other committees gave Gottheimer's campaign $1,123,024 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave $69,000, and conservation PACs gave $4,140.
| Cycle | All PACs and committees | Oil and gas | Mining and coal | Timber | Conservation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | $1,857,344 | $18,500 | none | $1,000 | $3,015 |
| 2021-22 | $1,983,991 | $25,000 | none | none | $1,075 |
| 2023-24 | $1,932,231 | $17,500 | none | none | none |
| 2025-26 | $1,123,024 | $5,000 | none | $2,000 | $50 |
Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC H6NJ05171), 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 Gottheimer compares
The median representative scores 6%. Gottheimer scores 97% and ranks #110 (tied) of 427.
More from New Jersey
Sen. Andy Kim A+ · Sen. Cory Booker B · Rep. Donald Norcross A · Rep. Jefferson Van Drew F · Rep. Herbert Conaway A · Rep. Christopher Smith F · Rep. Frank Pallone A+ · Rep. Thomas Kean F · Rep. Robert Menendez A+ · Rep. Nellie Pou A+ · Rep. LaMonica McIver A+ · Rep. Analilia Mejia A · Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman A+
What to ask Gottheimer
Washington office: 106 Cannon House Office Building. Phone (202) 225-4465. Official site
From Gottheimer's own record:
- Why did you miss the vote on Overturning Glen Canyon Safeguards (H.J.Res.60)?
Offices and phones from the Senate and House member feeds and unitedstates/congress-legislators, checked October 22, 2026.
Questions people ask
How did Josh Gottheimer vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?
Josh Gottheimer voted Nay on One Big Beautiful Bill (H.R.1) on May 22, 2025. The House vote was 215 to 214, and the scorecard counts Nay as the vote for public lands.
Is Josh Gottheimer up for election in 2026?
Yes. Every House seat, including New Jersey's 5th District, is on the ballot on November 3, 2026. Gottheimer's grade on the 17 scored House votes so far is an A.
What public lands are in New Jersey's 5th District?
2 federal land units lie in or reach into New Jersey's 5th District. The largest are Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge (5,671 acres) and Appalachian National Scenic Trail (1,222 acres).