POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Where the Democratic presidential candidates stand on Colorado issues
Ahead of the state’s presidential primary on Super Tuesday, the Democratic candidates talk health care, marijuana, education, public land and beer
Reporting:
Brian Eason
Design:
Design:
Eric Lubbers
Eric Lubbers
IMPORTANT VOTING INFORMATION
- • It's too late to mail in your ballot. Find your nearest drop-off location here and get your ballot in by 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 3.
- • It's not too late to register. You may register to vote at any time up to and including Election Day in person at any Voter Service and Polling Center.
- • Did you vote for a candidate that has dropped out? It’s too late to change if you've turned in your ballot, but if you haven't, we've got instructions on what to do.
Q: BLM RELOCATION
Q:
Background: The Trump administration announced it would relocate the federal Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Grand Junction in July 2019, a move supported by Republican and Democratic leaders in Colorado. The Department of the Interior now says about 40 BLM employees will transfer to the new location, far fewer than initially hoped. And the move drew controversy and a congressional investigation after critics suggested the move was designed to gut the agency.
No answer to the question
A: Biden did not respond to questions, and his position is unknown.
Pledges to reverse BLM headquarters move in Colorado
A: Sanders told The Sun he opposes the transfer of the BLM headquarters, and if elected, he said he would reverse it. He believes the move was part of the Trump administration’s efforts to “weaken oversight on public lands.”
Concerned about the impact of the move
A: The senator is skeptical of the headquarters move to Grand Junction, but would not say whether she would seek to undo it. Instead, Warren is trying to walk a fine line: She favors more BLM resources on the ground in Western states but is worried that it will weaken the agency and cause it to lose key staff. If elected, Warren said she would develop a reorganization plan for the agency to increase its effectiveness and accountability and improve the management of public lands. But she did not offer specifics about how it would work. Warren did pledge to fully fund the agency in her first term and eliminate the infrastructure and maintenance backlog for public lands.
Opposes BLM move to Colorado
A: The former mayor opposes the BLM move to Colorado, calling it “either some kind of cheap effort to score points … or even worse, a cynical ploy to make public lands management less effective.” Bloomberg argues that moving a “skeleton crew” to Colorado would cut important officials off from scientists, the White House and Congress, making it harder to do their jobs. However, he would not say whether he would reverse the decision.
Wants BLM headquarters to return to D.C.
A: Steyer opposes the relocation and advocates for returning the headquarters to D.C. “Moving the headquarters to Colorado places heavy burdens on career staff who have dedicated their lives to this agency, reduces transparency, and risks allowing mining and fossil fuel interests to exert more influence over the BLM’s decision-making without normal oversight,” he told The Sun.
Position not clear
A: Klobuchar’s campaign did not respond to questions about her views.
The campaign did not respond to questions about Buttigieg’s position.
A: The campaign did not respond to questions about Buttigieg’s position.
The Issues
Pick a card to see stances from the candidates.