Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks

Christian D. Menefee

Democrat · U.S. House · Texas, District 18

80% on 3 votes

Not ranked until 5 counted votes (3 so far)

Sworn in February 2026

Scored 80 to 89%.

Rep. Christian D. Menefee, a Democrat representing Texas's 18th District, earns a B on the Congressional Public Lands Score, graded on 3 votes, not ranked until 5 scored votes. Of the 3 scored House votes held while Menefee was in office, Menefee cast 2 for public lands and 0 against, and missed 1. The closest: Nay on Protecting Domestic Mining Act (H.R.1501), 218 to 201. Every House seat, this one included, is on the ballot in November 2026.

Every scored vote: 3 of 17 U.S. House votes counted

Pro-lands
Protecting 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-lands
Lead 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
Missed
Critical 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.
Did not vote · February 4, 2026 · Roll call 55, 224 to 195
Not in office
Overturning 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.
Not in office · January 21, 2026 · Roll call 38, 214 to 208
Not in office
SPEED 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
Not in office · December 18, 2025 · Roll call 356, 221 to 196
Not in office
Opening 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
Not in office · December 18, 2025 · Roll call 358, 219 to 198
Not in office
Gray 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).
Not in office · December 18, 2025 · Roll call 360, 211 to 204
Not in office
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
Not in office · November 18, 2025 · Roll call 294, 214 to 212
Not in office
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
Not in office · November 18, 2025 · Roll call 295, 217 to 209
Not in office
Opening 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
Not in office · November 18, 2025 · Roll call 296, 216 to 209
Not in office
Overturning 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
Not in office · September 3, 2025 · Roll call 224, 211 to 208
Not in office
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 effectively resurrected the Ambler Road project through Gates of the Arctic. Signed into law as Pub.L. 119-50.
Not in office · September 3, 2025 · Roll call 225, 215 to 210
Not in office
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
Not in office · September 3, 2025 · Roll call 226, 215 to 211
Not in office
One 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
Not in office · July 3, 2025 · Roll call 190, 218 to 214
Not in office
One 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
Not in office · May 22, 2025 · Roll call 145, 215 to 214
Not in office
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
Not in office · April 29, 2025 · Roll call 110, 219 to 205
Not in office
Fix 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
Not in office · 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 Menefee through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Open the full record in the scorecard

Public lands bills Menefee sponsors or cosponsors

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

Public lands in Texas's 18th District

The record holds no federal land unit in Texas's 18th District.

Threatened public lands in Texas

Big Bend National Park Developing
Padre Island National Seashore
Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Boca Chica) Critical
National Forests in Texas (Oil & Gas Leasing) Developing

Federal land units from PAD-US, matched to the district in the More Than Just Parks record, refreshed October 19, 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.

How Menefee compares

The median representative scores 6%. Menefee scores 80%, graded on 3 votes, not ranked until 5 scored votes.

What to ask Menefee

Washington office: 1318 Longworth House Office Building. Phone (202) 225-3816. Official site

From Menefee's own record:

Why did you miss the vote on Critical Mineral Dominance Act (H.R.4090)?

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

Questions people ask

How did Christian D. Menefee vote on Protecting Domestic Mining Act?

Christian D. Menefee voted Nay on Protecting Domestic Mining Act (H.R.1501) on September 2, 2026. The House vote was 218 to 201, and the scorecard counts Nay as the vote for public lands.

Is Christian D. Menefee up for election in 2026?

Yes. Every House seat, including Texas's 18th District, is on the ballot on November 3, 2026. Menefee's grade on the 3 scored House votes so far is a B.

Not in the record for Christian D. Menefee yet: committee seats and campaign money.