BLM Moves Headquarters To Grand Junction

DENVER (CBS4) - The Bureau of Land Management headquarters is moving from Washington DC to the West. Grand Junction, Colorado to be exact.

Sen. Cory Gardner made the announcement on Monday.

"Today is a historic day for our nation's public lands, western states, and the people of Colorado," said Gardner in a statement. "Relocating the Bureau of Land Management to the Western Slope of Colorado will bring the bureau's decision makers closer to the people they serve and the public lands they manage. The problem with Washington is too many policy makers are far removed from the people they are there to serve. Ninety-nine percent of the land the BLM manages is West of the Mississippi River, and so should be the BLM headquarters. This is a victory for local communities, advocates for public lands, and proponents for a more responsible and accountable federal government."

The Republican junior senator from Colorado had been working on the plan to move the BLM to Colorado for a few years.

The bureau manages nearly 8.3 million acres in Colorado.

Gov. Jared Polis released the following statement after Gardner's announcement:

"We are thrilled to welcome the Bureau of Land Management and their employees to the great state of Colorado. As I stated to Secretary Bernhardt many times, Grand Junction is the perfect location for the BLM because of community support, location closer to the land BLM manages, and the positive impact it will have on our western Colorado economy. Hard to think of a better place to house the department responsible for overseeing our beloved public lands."

In:
• Grand Junction News