Forest Service Headquarters Relocation Blocked By Federal Judge

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from relocating the U.S. Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City.

It's far from the final word in the fight, because the order is only temporary.

But at least for now, USFS employees in Missoula, and the other regions won't have to pack their bags.

A big move

Last year, not after the Trump Administration came to power in Washington, agency leaders revived the idea of moving the administrative center for the U.S. Forest Service from the nation's capitol to Salt Lake City. The idea was that the move would make for better efficiency, especially since the major of the Forest Service lands are in the west.

Additionally, the Forest Service included a plan to shutdown the USFS Regional Offices, and consolidate those operations in Utah as well.

In Missoula, that would end more than a century of Forest Service presence. The original, Region 1 Headquarters has been based in Western Montana since the "Big Blowup" fires of 1910.

Although some facilities, like the Fire Sciences Lab, would remain, many former Forest Service employees, conservation groups and community leaders criticized the idea.

Proposal on hold

The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, halts a major Department of Agriculture restructuring that also aimed to consolidate research facilities and move personnel westward. Judge Chhabria ruled that the USDA likely bypassed required congressional approval for the overhaul, which has drawn lawsuits from labor unions, local governments, and nonprofits.

While Utah officials criticized the ruling as a setback for local land management, the judge noted the relief could be short-lived, with current congressional spending restrictions set to expire in less than two months.