Western Energy Alliance Thanks Haaland, Hickenlooper on BLM Headquarters

DENVER – Western Energy Alliance today announced its continued support for keeping the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) headquarters in Grand Junction, Colo. The Alliance thanks Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Senator John Hickenlooper (D) for recognizing the benefits of having federal land managers near the people most impacted by BLM decisions. The following statement is from Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Alliance:
 
“Since 2017, we have supported moving BLM headquarters out West where over 97% of BLM lands are located. Citizens in Colorado and across the West are disproportionately impacted by BLM decisions, whereas they barely register for those in the D.C. metropolitan area or along the East Coast, most of whom never heard the acronym “BLM” until last year, and with a completely unrelated meaning.

​“Since the idea was floated several years ago, there has been strong bipartisan support for locating the BLM headquarters out West. We thank Sec. Haaland for coming to Colorado and meeting with Sen. Hickenlooper to discuss how in a such a short time BLM’s headquarters has become a critical asset in the West.
 
“We also take this opportunity to urge Sec. Haaland to release the report on the Interior Department’s plans to comprehensively review the federal oil and natural gas program. It’s been six months since the president banned leasing and ordered the review, yet the Interior Department still has no plan and no lease sales have been held, despite a court order. The president’s order has killed jobs and economic opportunity in the West for no reason, as no progress has been made since then. We call on the Secretary to announce lease sales and release the report.”

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