Originally Posted by SLtrib
With BLM headquarters likely to go West, Rep. Rob Bishop promotes Ogden as Utah's best host
One thing is certain under the major reorganization Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has in mind for the sprawling federal department he oversees: The Bureau of Land Management headquarters will move West, where nearly all the nation’s public land is concentrated.
Salt Lake City has been viewed as a logical host city, but now an up-and-coming city 40 miles to the north has emerged as a possible contender.
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The exchange occurred at a roundtable hosted by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, whose congressional district includes Ogden. Combs laid out Zinke’s vision for making the BLM and other Interior agencies more responsive to Western communities associated with public lands.
“The goal is to reorganize by [distributing] power out … to where the problems are, where the facts are, the issues are on the ground,” Combs said. “The secretary wants all decision-making to be driven locally, so you see county commissioners, mayors and governors. You are at the forefront of everything that happens in your county, city and state.”
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With Herbert inviting the BLM to put its headquarters in Utah, it appears state leaders no longer prioritize taking title to the public lands, a move that would evict the BLM from the state. Instead, leaders are embracing a less drastic goal of securing greater authority over how the BLM manages 23 million acres in Utah.
“This has potential to make Interior more efficient and more responsive to reflect more precisely what the people who live next to these public lands want to see take place,” Herbert said. “Secondly, it gives a chance to change the culture of the department.”
On paper, Salt Lake City would appear to be a more viable candidate than Ogden. The BLM’s state office is already in Utah’s capital city, which also sits at the junction of the Intermountain West’s two biggest freeways. And, Herbert noted, Salt Lake City has a major airport undergoing a $3.6 billion expansion.
But Bishop noted that Ogden has plenty of available federal office space and its own airport. Ogden hosts regional offices of the U.S. Forest Service and the IRS; Hill Air Force Base is nearby.
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