Interior reverses Trump, moves BLM headquarters back to DC
The Interior Department will restore the Washington, D.C., headquarters for the Bureau of Land Management, which was moved to Colorado during the Trump administration, while maintaining the Colorado office as its "Western headquarters." The department announced its decision on the controversial move in a statement on Friday.
The Trump administration shifted its headquarters from Washington to Grand Junction, Colo., in what critics saw as an attempt to drive out career officials. The Trump administration had argued that it was putting officials closer to the land that they managed. The move was initially announced in 2019 and completed last year.
Data released by the Biden administration earlier this year indicated that more than 87 percent of the agency's employees based in D.C. left the agency after the Trump administration's announcement that it would relocate the office. Just 41 agreed to move while 287 either retired or left the agency by the end of last year.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement that it was important for the bureau to have a D.C. presence but also said that its presence in Colorado would "continue to grow."
“There’s no doubt that the BLM should have a leadership presence in Washington, D.C. – like all the other land management agencies – to ensure that it has access to the policy-, budget-, and decision-making levers to best carry out its mission," Haaland said.
"The past several years have been incredibly disruptive to the organization, to our public servants, and to their families. As we move forward, my priority is to revitalize and rebuild the BLM so that it can meet the pressing challenges of our time, and to look out for our employees’ well-being,” she added.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/572796-interior-to-restore-dc-land-management-hq-while-also-maintaining
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland
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