GLENWOOD SPRINGS — This riverside city spends tax dollars on police and emergency medical services. The city directs tax revenue toward wildfire mitigation efforts on its borders. It’s spending more this winter on snow removal so fire trucks and ambulances can more easily navigate narrow streets. And now it’s paying for a public affairs campaign […]
David Bernhardt
Posted inEnvironment, News, Politics and Government, Water
Interior Department proposes coveted water deal to ex-client of Secretary David Bernhardt
By Ellen Knickmeyer, The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Interior Department is proposing to award one of the first contracts for federal water in perpetuity to a powerful rural water district that had employed Secretary David Bernhardt as a lawyer and lobbyist. Environmental groups and a California Democratic lawmaker oppose giving the contract to the […]
Posted inColoradans, Energy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Scattering BLM will be good for policy, boss William Pendley says. Not with him at the helm, advocacy groups argue.
Colorado will get more of the Bureau of Land Management’s Washington staff under the Trump administration’s proposed agency reorganization than any other Western state — but whether those employees will have decision-making authority is a hotly contested point. The plan involves scattering almost 300 positions, some currently unfilled, across 11 Western states. Of the 222 […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: William Perry Pendley is exactly the opposite of who we need to lead the BLM
Last week, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt quietly re-upped the appointment of William Perry Pendley as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management. By skirting Congress and not officially nominating Pendley to serve as the actual director, the administration may be trying to avoid the appropriate scrutiny that has always been required by those seeking […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Electric-powered bikes are now allowed on BLM and National Park trails — and not everyone is happy about it
EAGLE — The cyclist climbing Boneyard zoomed up the steepest section of the singletrack trail with an effortless ease, passing a panting pedaler in a blink. Here they come. Electric bikes, propelled by both pedal and throttle, will be more common on Colorado’s Bureau of Land Management trails after an order issued by Interior Secretary […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Trump administration says moving BLM to the West will save money, improve decisions
By Dan Elliott and Brady McCombs, The Associated Press The Trump administration said Tuesday that it can save taxpayers millions of dollars, make better decisions and trim a “top heavy” office in Washington by moving the headquarters of the nation’s biggest land agency to Colorado and dispersing scores of jobs across 11 states in the […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Cory Gardner has failed to deliver on his promise to be “a new kind of Republican”
It’s no secret why Coloradans choose to call this amazing state home. They love our one-of-a-kind natural treasures, boundless recreation opportunities and outdoor heritage. And they deserve leaders who prioritize these values. Unfortunately for Coloradans, Sen. Cory Gardner has not been one of those leaders. During his four years in office, Sen. Gardner has voted […]
Posted inColoradans, Energy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Interior Secretary Bernhardt came home to Colorado — and the swamp monsters were waiting for him in Vail
VAIL — Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is looking at every job in the Bureau of Land Management to determine two things: Is the role essential? And does it need to be based in Washington, D.C.? Once the newly confirmed secretary finishes answering those questions, he said, he can support the push to relocate the land […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Bureau of Land Management more likely to relocate to Denver than Grand Junction, Polis says
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis says the Bureau of Land Management is more likely to relocate its headquarters to Denver than Grand Junction, even though his administration is more supportive of the federal agency moving to the Western Slope. Either way, the Democrat said he’s “cautiously optimistic” Colorado will win the bidding war with other Western […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government
Bureau of Land Management to decide on Western city — potentially one in Colorado — for its new headquarters by October
By Dan Elliott, The Associated Press The U.S. Interior Department said Tuesday it plans to choose a Western city as the new headquarters for its vast public lands holdings by the end of September. The department also said it may move the headquarters of its U.S. Geological Survey — best known for monitoring earthquakes and […]