In Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing, Rep. Lee Examines Status of Bureau of Land Management, Funding for Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act
WASHINGTON — In today's hearing for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03) examined the status and capacity of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as well as funding for the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act.
Rep. Lee asked the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, about the staffing situation at the BLM following a significant loss of BLM staff during the prior Administration:
Rep. Lee – "As you know, over 80% of my home state of Nevada is federal land. This is the highest proportion in the nation. Of that land, the vast majority is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The budget request submitted today mentions rebuilding the core functions and the capacity at the Department of Interior as a top priority.
"More specifically, the prior Administration's move of BLM headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Grand Junction [Colorado] resulted in the loss of 287 of 328 headquarters employees. That's an 87% loss of staff and significant loss of institutional memory and experience for the Bureau. Secretary Haaland, are you able to provide an update on the current number of vacancies, both at the BLM headquarters and at field offices around the country?"
Sec. Haaland – "Yes, close to 300 positions were impacted during that move, and we know that it was an upset. First of all, I should also say that, in light of that, 90% of those positions for BLM were actually outside of D.C. We know that it has been an issue. We're assessing the impact to the structural changes that were made to BLM. [...] Less than half of the positions of the 300 were vacated and some remain vacant to this day, so we're working on rectifying that — the institutional memory and experienced losses — and just know that it is a priority for us, especially during this time of drought and all the climate change and all the other issues that are happening specifically across the west."
Rep. Lee also asked Sec. Haaland for an update on her decision regarding the BLM headquarters' relocation:
Rep. Lee – "During your confirmation hearing, you said that you were examining whether or not to move the headquarters back to D.C. Have you developed any criteria to facilitate that decision?"
Sec. Haaland – "We're still gathering information, currently, Congresswoman. [...] It was sort of an upset when they moved across the country, and the last thing we want to do is cause that again, so we're being very careful about how we're approaching it, but certainly the first step was ensuring that we're communicating with the career staff to assess how they feel about it and we'll get some of that information in soon and certainly be in touch with you about that."
Rep. Lee also took the opportunity to confirm Sec. Haaland's support for the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act:
Rep. Lee – "As you know, the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act — also called ‘SNPLMA' in its short form — has been a success story in federal-state collaboration on land use management. Since its inception in 1998, SNPLMA has generated $4.1 billion for the preservation, acquisition, and maintenance of precious federal lands in Nevada.
"It has been responsible for protecting lands around Red Rock Canyon, creating visitor-friendly walking trails in our wilderness areas, and providing critical capital improvements. Can you commit to keeping the SNPLMA fund dedicated as a special account in the Treasury, and can you speak to your expectation on the next opening of the next round of money?"
Sec. Haaland – "We appreciate your leadership on this issue. It's working, and I don't intend to upset anything that's working. We appreciate that, and we'll provide more details as we move forward."
In March, Rep. Lee helped introduce the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act. This bill is the largest conservation bill in Nevadan history, and sets aside over 2 million acres of federally-owned land in Clark County for habitat conservation, outdoor recreation, and cultural and landscape preservation.
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