U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, responded to the Department of the Interior’s announcement that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will establish a permanent Western Headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado. The dual headquarters should restore a fully-functioning BLM while ensuring the agency has strong, lasting ties to the West. 

“A Western BLM Headquarters in Colorado will help ensure we have a fully functioning agency that understands the West. We’ll keep working to secure jobs in Grand Junction, including senior leadership positions. To succeed, the Western HQ must be a strong, permanent presence that engages the community and adds a Western perspective and value to the BLM’s mission,” said Hickenlooper. 

Instead of fully moving the agency headquarters to the West, the Trump administration scattered jobs and assigned only 41 positions to a shell headquarters in Grand Junction. Hickenlooper has repeatedly called on President Biden and Secretary Haaland to restore the agency while recommitting to Grand Junction and a larger presence in the West, where the vast majority of BLM land is located. 

Hickenlooper sits on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources which oversees the BLM. BLM manages 8.3 million acres of public lands in Colorado, over 12 percent of the state. Additionally, 92 percent of federally managed acres are in just 12 Western states.