A few press releases arrived in our Daily Post email at the end of last week, offering reactions to the decision, by the Biden administration, to relocate the Bureau of Land Management headquarters back to Washington DC, where it had resided for many years until the Trump Administration scattered BLM offices across the continent, with the announced intention of establishing the national headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado — far from the decision-making processes in Washington. The move resulted in the resignation of certain “career employees” who were reportedly less than happy about moving their families to Colorado and other locations in the American West.
In July 2019, the Trump administration announced that the Bureau of Land Management headquarters would move to Grand Junction and just over a year later the Department of the Interior (DOI) signed an order formalizing this move. DOI assigned 328 positions to move West out of Washington, D.C. According to DOI, of those, 287 headquarter employees retired or left the agency and only 41 people relocated West. Out of those 41 people, only three were actually relocated to the Grand Junction “headquarters.”
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“Today’s announcement is the first step in fixing the extensive damage the Trump administration wreaked on the Bureau of Land Management.
“It’s clear that moving the agency’s headquarters out of Washington, D.C. was meant to force out career employees and hollow out its leadership. The Bureau of Land Management oversees one-tenth of all lands in the United States, and the American people deserve an agency with a seat at the table when important decisions are being made in Washington. This move will help the agency rebuild and ensure that top Bureau of Land Management officials can bring their concerns directly to lawmakers, Interior Department leadership, and the White House.
“Now the Senate must act swiftly to confirm Tracy Stone-Manning as the Bureau of Land Management’s director. The agency has been without a confirmed director since 2017, and it needs a strong leader to make sure our public lands are managed on behalf of all Americans, and become part of the solution to the climate crisis.”
US Senator John Hickenlooper’s office sent this message:
U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper today responded to the Department of the Interior’s announcement that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will establish a permanent Western Headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado. The dual headquarters should restore a fully-functioning BLM while ensuring the agency has strong, lasting ties to the West.
“A Western BLM Headquarters in Colorado will help ensure we have a fully functioning agency that understands the West. We’ll keep working to secure jobs in Grand Junction, including senior leadership positions. To succeed, the Western HQ must be a strong, permanent presence that engages the community and adds a Western perspective and value to the BLM’s mission,” said Hickenlooper.
Instead of fully moving the agency headquarters to the West, the Trump administration scattered jobs and assigned only 41 positions to a shell headquarters in Grand Junction. Hickenlooper has repeatedly called on President Biden and Secretary Haaland to restore the agency while recommitting to Grand Junction and a larger presence in the West, where the vast majority of BLM land is located.
And US Senator Michael Bennet offered these remarks:
“While I am disappointed that the national headquarters will be in Washington, I believe establishing and growing a permanent BLM Western Headquarters in Grand Junction should be a very positive development.
“I welcome the prospect of the BLM Western Headquarters exercising leadership with respect to managing our public lands, outdoor recreation, conservation, renewable energy, and engagement with stakeholders and Tribes. I’ve spoken to DOI leadership about the importance of both staffing up the office to fill current vacancies and continuing to grow the BLM’s presence in Grand Junction — in number of employees and significance.
“In the coming months, I will hold the Administration accountable to ensure that the BLM Western Headquarters is permanent, fully staffed, and informed by the voices of the Rocky Mountain West — after the last administration failed to deliver on that promise.”