Why it matters: Energy shortages hurt families, farmers and businesses. Skyrocketing energy costs drive up the price of goods and dramatically alter our spending decisions—hitting seniors and single parents living on fixed incomes the hardest. Our nation’s lack of a comprehensive energy policy continues to contribute to this hardship. 

America has the largest recoverable resources of oil, gas and coal of any nation on the planet – greater than the combined supply of Saudi Arabia, China and Canada. There is no reason for our nation to be dependent on hostile regimes and nations with agendas that are often at odds with our own for our energy needs.

Our natural resources are also key to job creation and economic growth. Arkansas is blessed with a wonderful landscape and incredible wildlife that people from all across the country come to our state to enjoy. Preserving and protecting our environment is vital to enabling future generations of Americans to participate in popular outdoor activities. 

Where I stand: As a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I am committed to leading efforts to help our nation embrace an all-the-above approach to energy security that will encourage the responsible use of our nation’s unmatched energy resources. 

We need to use everything America has been blessed with, including wind, solar, biomass and hydropower to diversify our energy portfolio. Emissions-free nuclear must also play a significant role. We continue to make advancements in these areas and I support smart, responsible approaches that broaden our capability to harness natural resources to create new forms of sustainable energy. 

Heavy-handed rules that reduce energy supplies are likewise counterproductive. Washington must reject these failed ideas in order to move forward.  

I am committed to advocating for and championing responsible environmental stewardship and improving federal conservation programs. 

What I’ve done: I have supported policies to improve domestic energy production like the Keystone XL Pipeline, and will continue to advance policies that allow us to achieve energy independence. As an avid outdoorsman, I am proud to support federal programs that strengthen America’s wetlands and bolster waterfowl habitat. 

Senator Boozman Fights to Protect Natural Resources

As a member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, Boozman is a voice for stewardship of Arkansas wetlands. He has secured federal funding for the conservation of waterfowl habitat in The Natural State and across the country. 

The senator championed federal funding to restore critical habitat at Shirey Bay Rainey Brake Wildlife Management Area in Lawrence County. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director called this investment “important and timely to supporting access to waterfowling for future generations.”

Boozman is committed to supporting the unique environment that makes Arkansas a world-class duck hunting location and attracts outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world. In 2023, the senator shepherded into law legislation making it easier for hunters to comply with license requirements. The Duck Stamp Modernization Act authorizes an electronic stamp for use through the entirety of a waterfowl hunting season.

The Boozman-backed Migratory Birds of Americas Conservation Enhancement Act was signed into law in 2024. It will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support conservation partners along migratory flyways throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The senator continuously works to protect and strengthen public lands. In 2020, he supported passage of The Great American Outdoors Act, legislation President Trump signed into law that allows us to conserve and preserve public lands and supports the pastimes of Arkansas anglers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. The law invests in the repair of national parks and public lands infrastructure, and protects and provides future recreational access by permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The measure has helped deliver improvements at Hot Springs National Park and the Fort Smith National Historic Site.

As a result of Boozman’s persistence, the Butterfield Overland Trail is now recognized as a national historic trail. Designation of the route, which was used to transport mail and passengers between St. Louis, Memphis and San Francisco and was significant in the development of the country, helps preserve the story of Arkansas’s role in westward expansion.

He has also secured passage of policies strengthening conservation including the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act. The bipartisan initiative advances and expands programs to safeguard wildlife and ecosystems. It establishes a task force within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to combat Chronic Wasting Disease, adds protections of lead fishing tackle for five years, and delivers many other conservation priorities for Arkansas. It will enable us to better implement collaborative strategies to protect and restore wetland habitat by reauthorizing critical programs that have a track record of success. When the bill was signed into law in October 2020, leading nonprofit conservation group Ducks Unlimited applauded Boozman’s leadership in getting it across the finish line. As a key member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the senator is advocating for the programs to continue including supporting Senate reauthorization in 2024.

Boozman has also effectively ushered legislation introduced by members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation through the Senate. Working with Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04), Boozman secured passage of a land exchange between a church in Jessieville and the U.S. Forest Service that grows the Ouachita National Forest. Boozman also joined Rep. French Hill (AR-02) to successfully expand Arkansas’s Flatside Wilderness by 640 acres and name the new addition in honor of former U.S. Rep. Ed Bethune. 

In recognition of the 75^th anniversary of the American Tree Farm System in 2016, Boozman introduced a Senate resolution honoring the program for its vital contributions to Arkansas conservation and the more than $2 billion it adds to the state’s economy. That same year, Boozman and Westerman explored the forestry industry in their “Seed to Sawmill” tour in southern Arkansas.