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SALT LAKE CITY — Headquarters for the Bureau of Land Management may move from the nation’s capital to Utah or Colorado, according to U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, Utah Republican congressman and head of the House’s Natural Resources Committee.
Rumors of a move began circulating in early May when two Colorado Republicans introduced legislation that would allow the agency to relocate to a Western state. The bill offered 12 states as a possible new home, including Utah.
“Ninety-nine percent of the nearly 250 million acres of land managed by BLM is west of the Mississippi River, and having the decision-makers present in the communities they impact will lead to better policy,” said Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner in a May statement.
At the time, U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told Gardner he would consider the idea. Now, it seems Zinke may be closer to making a decision and has narrowed down the possible locations to the Beehive and Centennial states.
“Anytime you can reduce the influence Washington has and get government closer to the people is gotta be a plus, gotta be a benefit,” Bishop told KSL Newsradio on Wednesday.
And other Utah representatives seem to agree.
“It’s a tremendous idea. … They can be right here where things are happening,” said Utah state Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab. “I just think it’s going to be better management for our public lands. That’s the whole issue here. It’s very, very difficult to understand what happens when regulations and laws are passed and what the actual effects of that law and regulation are on the ground.”
Leaked 'memo' details possible monument changes at Bears Ears, Grand Staircase
National media outlets obtained a leaked, draft document from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to President Donald Trump containing recommendations on 10 national monument designations, including changes for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.But Bishop also says a move closer to the people would only be worth it with the right person in charge.
“Hopefully the personnel changes,” he said on KSL Newsradio's "The Doug Wright Show." “(The state needs) people that are going to be much more receptive to what Utah needs and what the people need.”
While the majority of the bureau’s employees are already in the field, the agency’s hundreds of Washington employees would require relocation should a move happen, something many say would simply waste taxpayer’s dollars.
The rumors of a move come on the heels of speculation that Utah’s Grand Staircase and Bears Ears monuments may be reduced, though Bishop says any reports on the subject are preemptive. The appointment and size of the two monuments have recently been especially controversial among Utahns who believe the state government should have control of the lands.
