Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Quiet On Possible New BLM Headquarters

VAIL, Colo. (AP) — Interior Secretary David Bernhardt says he is looking at every job in the Bureau of Land Management to determine if the role is essential and if it should be based in Washington, D.C. Bernhardt said at the Western Governors' Association conference Monday that once those questions are answered, he will decide whether to move BLM's headquarters to a Western state, closer to the nearly 400,000 square miles the land agency manages.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 28: David Bernhardt, President Donald Trump's nominee to be Interior Secretary, is sworn in during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee confirmation hearing on March 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

The Colorado Sun reports he declined to name a preferred state, and a decision is expected by September. Bernhardt says he expects "a substantial element of BLM folks in D.C. being repositioned."

A few dozen protesters, some wearing swamp monster masks, paraded nearby to bring attention to Bernhardt's previous job lobbying for oil and gas interests.

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