This bill, known as the Local Opportunities, Conservation, and American Lands Act (the LOCAL Act), would designate the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) headquarters to be located in Grand Junction, Colorado. It also requires that all BLM positions that are stationed in Grand Junction at the time of enactment remain there. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of relocating more BLM positions to the Grand Junction headquarters or to another Western state specified by the Secretary, and to assess whether such relocation would improve federal land management and enhance coordination with local communities as well as support tourism, conservation, outdoor recreation, grazing, and responsible energy production. A report detailing the study’s findings must be submitted within 365 days of enactment.
Key Points
- 1Establishes Grand Junction, Colorado as the headquarters for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
- 2Requires that BLM employees who are stationed in Grand Junction on the date of enactment remain there.
- 3Directs the Secretary to study the feasibility of relocating additional BLM positions to the Grand Junction HQ or to another Western state designated by the Secretary.
- 4The study must evaluate potential benefits to land management, coordination with local communities, and support for tourism, conservation, outdoor recreation, grazing, and responsible energy production (i.e., multiple uses of public lands).
- 5Requires a formal reporting deadline: a comprehensive study report due within 365 days after enactment to Congress (House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources).