Relocation of staff resources enhances the Bureau’s ability to serve the American public

August 10, 2020Grand Junction, Colo. – Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt signed Secretary’s Order (SO) 3382 formally establishing the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado. The formal designation completes the process of relocating the federal agency headquarters closer to both the land it administers and to its employees.

“This relocation strengthens our relationship with communities in the West by ensuring decisionmakers are living and working closer to the lands they manage for the American people. This effort will also save a great deal of money that can be reinvested in our field operations,” said Secretary Bernhardt.

“Day after day our BLM leadership team is called on to make decisions that impact the lives of families in the West. There are neither maps nor memos that replace the wisdom gained by putting your feet in the dirt of the land you manage and speaking face-to-face with the individuals who must live with the consequences of those decisions. This is how you build trust with those we serve,” said Casey Hammond, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Land and Minerals Management.

“The BLM strives to be a good neighbor and responsible steward of America’s public lands. Relocating our headquarters West furthers that effort,” said Deputy Director for Policy and Programs, exercising the authority of the Director, William Perry Pendley. “We also worked hard to ensure that each of those employees unable to move found a job in the Washington, D.C. metro area. And the folks who wanted to move West are—or soon will be—settled in various Western cities.”

By the end of August, most assigned staff will be on duty in the headquarters office.

BLM Headquarters Office Media Contact: blm_press@blm.gov

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In fiscal year 2018, the diverse activities authorized on BLM-managed lands generated $105 billion in economic output across the country. This economic activity supported 471,000 jobs and contributed substantial revenue to the U.S. Treasury and state governments, mostly through royalties on minerals.