Forest Service move to Salt Lake City still on despite court block, secretary says
A federal judge halted the reorganization on Oct. 13 while a lawsuit proceeds, and the administration is appealing.
Based on reporting by KUER 90.1 (NPR Utah). Read the original story →
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the administration is moving "full-bore ahead" on reorganizing the U.S. Forest Service, including moving its headquarters from Washington to Salt Lake City, KUER reported. [1]
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria halted the reorganization on Oct. 13 while a lawsuit over it proceeds, and the administration has appealed. The judge wrote that the plan would likely force thousands of employees to relocate or lose their jobs and that the administration almost certainly violated congressional limits on spending, according to the report. [1]
The plan would also close about 23 research stations and many regional offices, replacing them with state offices. Officials say the changes would cut costs and concentrate resources in Western states, which hold nearly 90% of national forest land. Federal employee unions, environmental groups and some local officials oppose the plan and argue it is a way to make deep workforce cuts. [1]
Gov. Spencer Cox called the move to Salt Lake City "a big win for Utah and the West." Chris Iverson, a former Forest Service official, warned that closer ties to state governments could increase the influence of timber, oil and gas, and grazing interests, KUER reported. [1]
Sources
This story was written by AI from the report by KUER 90.1 (NPR Utah), which has the full story. How we write stories.