Update made on 11/3/2021 at 7:59 pm: This article was written at the beginning of September when the Bureau of Land Management was still located in Colorado. The statement that Biden moved BLM to Colorado is incorrect. The correct statement was that he was keeping it in Colorado at the time. As of September 17, BLM was moved back to Washington D.C.
The government is a vast place and rural areas such as Grand Junction often get overlooked.
Government focuses on big cities in general because of the voting benefits, whereas gerrymandering by population and partisanship has put smaller cities on the back burner for national politics.
Consequently, President Joe Biden has had an effect on the whole country, but very little has changed in Grand Junction since his election.
The biggest change was the decision to move Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Headquarters back to Grand Junction after former president Donald Trump moved it to Washington D.C.
This move made sense.The Western Slope has been fighting to keep the land preserved and sustainable. While modernization and expansion happens, there are less wildlife areas than ever before.
Biden made the right decision in this situation as many conservationists in Colorado have more expertise than those in D.C.
Moving BLM Headquarters back to Grand Junction put them in close contact with the local branch of the Natural Resources and Conservation Services (NRCS), which is a government organization under the Department of Agriculture in Grand Junction.
Along with the U.S. Forest Service, these agencies now have more support in a condensed area. This makes it easier to make effective policy about the environment and our lands in general. It also makes these departments more accessible to the local public in terms of communication.
Not only does it help sustainability efforts, but it brought high paying jobs to the Grand Junction area. Creating more jobs has been a focus on the Western Slope and having jobs in conservation are one of the best ways to do so.
Along with these good changes come some complaints. The relocation of BLM is just one thing Biden has done to benefit Grand Junction. His infrastructure plans could prove to be useful, but the bigger cities are getting those initiatives first, which leaves rural areas in the dust yet again.
Only shortly after the bandwidth initiative in Colorado provided faster internet to bigger cities, the discrepancy was obvious. Grand Junction and most of western Colorado were against the change, but the current administration pushed it through despite this. Worse service and internet at higher prices were the result for rural areas.
Biden’s infrastructure plans seem to be following the same route. Highway 50 has been undergoing construction and it has caused immense headaches all around. Travel to and from the front range has become almost impossible between the construction and I-70 closures that have plagued us.
Our side of the state will most likely remain untouched by these initiatives unless it benefits bigger populations in some way. This could be solved by not only improving highways for trucks, but also creating convenient stops for trains. Trade goes from Salt Lake City, Utah to Denver and though cargo does pass through Grand Junction, it does not stop.
In ignoring our infrastructure, bandwidth and trade needs, Biden’s administration is doing a disservice to rural areas. Like most politicians, they are focused on improving the bigger cities.
Environmental initiatives are a good step, but the blind eye to other needs is what needs to be addressed. Biden and other “big wigs” need to give rural areas the opportunity to improve themselves, if not the resources and manpower to do so.
