Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks

Marsha Blackburn

Republican · U.S. Senate · Tennessee

Ranked #54 (tied) of 98 scored

Scored under 60%.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, earns an F on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 19 scored Senate votes, Blackburn cast 0 for public lands and 19 against. 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. Blackburn's seat is not on the 2026 ballot.

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
Anti-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 Yea · 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 Blackburn through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Open the full record in the scorecard

Public lands bills Blackburn sponsors or cosponsors

In the 119th Congress, Blackburn sponsors 1 and cosponsors 4 public lands bills.

S.277 Release a Federal reversionary interest and convey mineral interests in Chester County, Tennessee
Sponsor · Introduced January 28, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.1376 Benton MacKaye National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act of 2025
Cosponsor · Signed on March 18, 2026 · Not yet rated
S.2967 Border Lands Conservation Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on October 2, 2025 · Not yet rated
S.2860 Revitalizing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Dominance Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on September 18, 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

Bills and cosponsors from the congress.gov API, read September 24, 2026. A bill is rated only when a named person approves a rating that quotes its provision; none of these has one yet.

Blackburn's committees

Joint Economic Committee
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy (Chairman); Science, Manufacturing, and Competitiveness; Telecommunications and Media
Senate Committee on Finance
Health Care; Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy; Taxation and IRS Oversight
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Crime and Counterterrorism; Intellectual Property; Privacy, Technology, and the Law (Chairman); the Constitution

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

Public lands in Tennessee

99 federal land units lie in or reach into Tennessee. The park with a More Than Just Parks guide: Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Listed park guides first, then by size; the largest 40 of 99 are named.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park 241,082 acres
Cherokee National Forest 661,590 acres
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Tennessee Valley Authority · 142,556 acres
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area 83,326 acres
Fort Campbell 67,526 acres
Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area 63,694 acres
Land Between the Lakes Other Forest Service · 63,694 acres
Dale Hollow Recreation Area 44,125 acres
Center Hill Recreation Area 40,398 acres
Arnold Air Force Base 38,892 acres
J. Percy Priest Recreation Area 33,737 acres
Old Hickory Recreation Area 29,862 acres
Cordell Hull Recreation Area 29,264 acres
Milan Army Ammunition Plant Defense Department · 22,354 acres
Dale Hollow Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 22,025 acres
Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge 21,536 acres
Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge 20,634 acres
Old Hickory Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 19,401 acres
Barkley Recreation Area 17,136 acres
Center Hill Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 17,089 acres
Citico Creek Wilderness 16,212 acres
J. Percy Priest Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 14,229 acres
Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge 12,337 acres
Cordell Hull Lake Army Corps of Engineers · 12,037 acres
Bald Mountain Roadless Area 11,741 acres
Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge 11,425 acres
Natchez Trace Parkway 11,301 acres
Sampson Mountain Wilderness 10,896 acres
Big Laurel Branch Wilderness 10,758 acres
Cherokee Game Refuge #1 National Game Refuge 9,863 acres
Flint Mill Gap Roadless Area 9,494 acres
Lake Barkley Army Corps of Engineers · 9,291 acres
Upper Bald River Roadless Area 9,197 acres
Upper Bald River Wilderness 9,037 acres
Big Frog Wilderness 8,372 acres
Kentucky Reservoir Tennessee Valley Authority · 8,201 acres
Brushy Ridge Roadless Area 7,467 acres
Sycamore Creek Roadless Area 6,981 acres
Pond Mountain Wilderness 6,920 acres
Cheatham Lock And Dam Recreation Area 6,915 acres

Fires burning on public land in Tennessee

Cherry Flats Fire 0 acres, updated October 25, 2026

Drilling, mining and logging on record in Tennessee: 51 timber sales (2,778 acres).

Threatened public lands in Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the state's districts in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 26, 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 Blackburn on lands issues

PACs and other committees gave Blackburn's campaign $140,620 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave $71,000, and conservation PACs gave nothing.

Cycle	All PACs and committees	Oil and gas	Mining and coal	Timber	Conservation
2019-20	$288,030	none	$2,000	none	none
2021-22	$473,890	$3,000	none	$500	none
2023-24	$2,338,774	$49,500	none	$16,000	none
2025-26	$140,620	none	none	none	none

Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC H2TN06030, FEC S8TN00337), net of refunds, read August 30, 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 Blackburn compares

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

More from Tennessee

Sen. Bill Hagerty F · Rep. Diana Harshbarger F · Rep. Tim Burchett F · Rep. Charles Fleischmann F · Rep. Scott DesJarlais F · Rep. Andrew Ogles F · Rep. John Rose F · Rep. Matt Van Epps F · Rep. David Kustoff F · Rep. Steve Cohen A

What to ask Blackburn

Washington office: 357 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Phone (202) 224-3344. Write to Blackburn · Official site

From Blackburn'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 vote Yea 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 Marsha Blackburn vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?

Marsha Blackburn 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 Marsha Blackburn up for election in 2026?

No. Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat from Tennessee is not on the 2026 ballot. Blackburn's grade on the 19 scored Senate votes so far is an F.

What public lands are in Tennessee?

99 federal land units lie in or reach into Tennessee. The largest are Cherokee National Forest (661,590 acres), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (241,082 acres) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (142,556 acres).