Lawmakers grill Trump official on plan to shift BLM HQ to Colorado

WASHINGTON — The head of the Bureau of Land Management today defended the Trump administration’s plans to close the agency’s Washington, D.C., office and relocate positions to Grand Junction, Colo.

Colorado lawmakers are largely in favor of the sweeping reorganization plan for the land management agency. But other Democrats and public lands advocates question whether the proposal would lead to a mass exodus of skilled federal employees and create a leadership vacuum for BLM in Washington.

Wiliam Perry Pendley, the acting BLM director, told members of the House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday that the agency has not done any research or formal surveys on how the move would affect employees or how many would be interested in relocating.

The agency made a “rough estimate,” based on historical data, that 25% of affected employees might retire or separate from the agency.

Read more: https://www.coloradoindependent.com/2019/09/10/bureau-land-management-relocation-colorado/