Congressional Public Lands Score by More Than Just Parks
Joaquin Castro
Voted for public lands on every scored vote of the Congress and never missed one.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat representing Texas's 20th District, earns an A+ on the Congressional Public Lands Score. Of the 17 scored House votes, Castro cast 17 for public lands and 0 against. 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
- Pro-landsOverturning 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 · 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 Castro through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Open the full record in the scorecardPublic lands bills Castro sponsors or cosponsors
In the 119th Congress, Castro sponsors 0 and cosponsors 4 public lands bills.
- H.R.3538 Wildlife Confiscations Network Act of 2025
Cosponsor · Signed on June 30, 2026 · Not yet rated
- H.R.9250 Great American Outdoors Act 250
Cosponsor · Signed on June 30, 2026 · Not yet rated
- H.R.7037 Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies Act
Original cosponsor · Signed on January 13, 2026 · Not yet rated
- H.R.2323 Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act
Cosponsor · Signed on April 7, 2025 · Not yet rated
Bills and cosponsors from the congress.gov API, read September 11, 2026. A bill is rated only when a named person approves a rating that quotes its provision; none of these has one yet.
Castro's committees
- House Committee on Foreign Affairs
East Asia and Pacific; Western Hemisphere (Ranking Member)
- House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Central Intelligence Agency; National Security Agency and Cyber; Oversight and Investigations (Ranking Member)
Committee seats from unitedstates/congress-legislators, read July 3, 2026.
Public lands in Texas's 20th District
The record holds no federal land unit in Texas's 20th 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.
Who funds Castro on lands issues
PACs and other committees gave Castro's campaign $158,000 in the 2025-26 cycle. Across the 4 cycles on record, oil, gas, mining and timber PACs gave nothing, and conservation PACs gave $4,575.
| Cycle | All PACs and committees | Oil and gas | Mining and coal | Timber | Conservation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | $293,088 | none | none | none | $75 |
| 2021-22 | $244,008 | none | none | none | $3,000 |
| 2023-24 | $217,667 | none | none | none | $1,500 |
| 2025-26 | $158,000 | none | none | none | none |
Itemized contributions from committees to the candidate (FEC H2TX35011), net of refunds, read October 15, 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 Castro compares
The median representative scores 6%. Castro scores 100% and ranks #1 (tied) of 427.
More from Texas
Sen. John Cornyn F · Sen. Ted Cruz F · Rep. Nathaniel Moran F · Rep. Dan Crenshaw F · Rep. Keith Self F · Rep. Pat Fallon F · Rep. Lance Gooden F · Rep. Jake Ellzey F · Rep. Lizzie Fletcher A · Rep. Morgan Luttrell F · Rep. Al Green A+ · Rep. Michael McCaul F · Rep. August Pfluger F · Rep. Craig Goldman F · Rep. Ronny Jackson F · Rep. Randy Weber F · Rep. Monica De La Cruz F · Rep. Veronica Escobar A+ · Rep. Pete Sessions F · Rep. Christian D. Menefee B · Rep. Jodey Arrington F · Rep. Chip Roy F · Rep. Troy Nehls F · Rep. Beth Van Duyne F · Rep. Roger Williams F · Rep. Brandon Gill F · Rep. Michael Cloud F · Rep. Henry Cuellar F · Rep. Sylvia Garcia A+ · Rep. Jasmine Crockett A · Rep. John Carter F · Rep. Julie Johnson A+ · Rep. Marc Veasey B · Rep. Vicente Gonzalez F · Rep. Greg Casar C · Rep. Brian Babin F · Rep. Lloyd Doggett A · Rep. Wesley Hunt F
What to ask Castro
Washington office: 2241 Rayburn House Office Building. Phone (202) 225-3236. Official site
Every scored vote Castro cast went for public lands.
Offices and phones from the Senate and House member feeds and unitedstates/congress-legislators, checked October 22, 2026.
Questions people ask
How did Joaquin Castro vote on One Big Beautiful Bill?
Joaquin Castro 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 Joaquin Castro up for election in 2026?
Yes. Every House seat, including Texas's 20th District, is on the ballot on November 3, 2026. Castro's grade on the 17 scored House votes so far is an A+.