WASHINGTON -- James Caswell, nominated to head the Bureau of Land Management, won praise from senators of both parties Thursday as he pledged to maintain an even-handed balance between development and conservation of public lands.

Western senators raised numerous energy and public lands issues with Caswell and other nominees to key energy and mining positions, all of whom had a joint hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

''I passionately believe in multiple-use management and conservation of our public resources with a commitment to balance, cooperation, collaboration and sharing,'' Caswell testified. ''In my view, achievement of this commitment requires scientific information, and listening to, learning about, and collaborating with the owners of our public lands, the American people.''

Caswell said the achievement of the multiple-use mission is ''critically dependent upon enhanced community relations and being a good neighbor and a citizen of the community.'' He also said that resource management plans ''must be adaptive, dynamic, and rely on 'place-based' ecosystem principles and landscape assessments.''

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., questioned Caswell about BLM giving adequate notice to surface owners of lands under which the government retains the underground rights when those mineral rights are going to be leased. Tester said BLM has not been notifying split-estate surface owners ''until after the fact, if at all.''

''We have to work with people and people need to know what's going on,'' Caswell said. ''If that in fact is happening, we're not communicating properly with surface owners, then we need to rectify that.''

Caswell said people should be notified directly, not just have the information posted on a Web site.

Tester questioned Caswell about the multiple use policy.

''How is BLM going to ensure that public lands proposed for leasing will be managed for that kind of balance of traditional multiple use, both from a hunter's standpoint, traditional agriculture's standpoint and oil and gas standpoint?'' he asked.

Caswell responded that the issue ''is very messy and very difficult'' but that it must be done.

''That's a weighty question and it begs for local decision-making in my view,'' Caswell said. ''And I can't sit here and answer it for you, but what I can tell you is I'm committed to balanced use. We have to find solutions, we have to problem-solve on these issues, we have to work hard at that. And we have to create an atmosphere that brings people together.''

Caswell also said he personally does not favor any one particular use.

''I don't believe that every acre that has resources on it is something that has to be developed,'' he said. ''I believe in wilderness. ... But it has to be done, you have to make decisions, you can't just fight over this until you're at a stalemate.''

Tester asked whether the BLM would consider compensating hunters or farmers negatively impacted by oil and gas drilling. ''The impacts of a potential 307,000 acre lease south of the CMR range on wildlife could be, depending on how extensive the drilling is, it could be either devastating or if it's managed correctly it could have little or no impact,'' Tester said.

He was referring to the upcoming July 31 lease sale for oil and gas exploration by the BLM of 307,000 acres on the south side of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. A portion of that land is BLM owned, but part of it is split estate.

Caswell said his knee-jerk reaction to providing compensation is that it would be a slippery slope and hoped the agency could find another solution.

Caswell, a Vietnam veteran, has 40 years' experience as a resource manager, beginning with the BLM and ending with the Forest Service, including heading the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho and Montana.

He spent the past six years in the Idaho governor's office as administrator for Office of Species Conservation. He worked on the wolf and Yellowstone grizzly bear management plans in the state. ''Both of those issues were politically and emotionally charged,'' he said.