The Carbon County Commission hosted a regularly-scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 6. During this meeting, many items were tackled, including the consideration and possible approval of a letter to the Department of Interior requesting reconsideration of their decision to move the BLM headquarters back to Washington DC.
Commission Chair Tony Martines began this by stating that, in his opinion, the Trump Administration made a wise decision by moving the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office out of Washington DC to Grand Junction, Colo. The thought process was to get those that were making decisions for the west standing on that dirt.
To Commissioner Martines, he said that showed very sound judgment. He then explained that the current administration wants to pull back and have the office returned to Washington DC, again making decisions from afar on how the land in this area should be managed.
He believes this to be an unwise move. Commissioner Martines supports that they should remain in Colorado to have a better understanding on what happens in the area, what it looks like and how the locals treat it.
Commissioner Casey Hopes then spoke, stating that it is important to note that over 90% of public lands are located in the west and that the Department of Interior that manages those lands is located in Washington DC. While an argument can be made for having all departments in one area, Commissioner Hopes believes that this is more important as the government that is closest to the people is the best.
All three of the commissioners were in agreement that it would not be wise to move forward with the decision to relocate the office before approving the submission of the letter.