Moving the Beltway-minded BLM headquarters to the heart of the Western Slope where the federal agency’s decisions literally impacts their backyard every day is an amazing achievement for some of our congressional delegation.
For more than 70 years, Washingtonians have attempted to divine the needs of westerners, without having to actually step foot there.
But with the official announcement expected Tuesday from Interior Secretary David Bernhardt that he’s bringing the agency home to Grand Junction, that all changes.
This is huge for the Western Slope and the entire state of Colorado and the key players — U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton and Sen. Cory Gardner, who have lobbied tirelessly for the agency’s relocation for the past three years.
From the local county commissioners to the highest levels of the federal government, getting the BLM HQ to Grand Junction was a remarkable example of collaboration. I hope this sets the precedent for how the BLM will continue to operate moving forward.
— Rep. Scott Tipton (@RepTipton) July 16, 2019
I am thrilled to announce the @BLMNational headquarters is coming to Grand Junction! Today is a historic day for our nation’s public lands, western states, and the people of Colorado. pic.twitter.com/e8ErI85Ftr
— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) July 15, 2019
Gov. Polis, who it appeared was trying to undermine the whole effort and relocate the BLM from one metropolitan area to another, Denver, was so “thrilled” he forgot to actually mention that Grand Junction was the winning choice.
Another sore winner was U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, who had to rain on everyone’s celebratory parade with this:
We need to learn the specific details of this move but this is great news for Colorado! https://t.co/n6nt1QlsYc
— Rep. Ed Perlmutter (@RepPerlmutter) July 15, 2019
The rest of the Democrats, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, Reps. Diane DeGette, Joe Neguse and Jason Crow, had no congratulatory words, no recognition at all of this great achievement, while Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn applauded the move.