Former BLM Official Returns to Supervise IRA Spending
TL/DR –
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has reinstated former senior official Janine Velasco to oversee spending of Inflation Reduction Act funds. Velasco, who has over 30 years of experience in BLM and other federal agencies, will coordinate the bureau’s efforts to allocate the funding. The funds, approved by Congress in 2022, are being used for large-scale landscape restoration projects, renewable energy, and transmission line permitting, as well as hiring 30 park rangers and outdoor recreation planners to manage increased visitation to the 245 million acres managed by the BLM.
Ex-Senior Official Returns to BLM to Oversee Inflation Reduction Act Funds
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has welcomed back former senior official, Janine Velasco, who was initially moved out during the early days of the Trump administration. Velasco’s focus will be on overseeing the usage of substantial Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds.
Velasco has recently resumed a “short detail” at the BLM director’s office, confirmed by a bureau spokesperson. Further details were not provided.
With more than three decades of experience with BLM and other federal agencies, Velasco will orchestrate the bureau’s plans to utilize funding from the IRA. This information was provided by a senior Interior Department official, who was granted anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
IRA Funds Prioritized for Landscape Restoration and Renewable Energy Projects
The Interior Department and BLM are emphasizing the use of IRA funds to invest in large-scale landscape restoration projects, and renewable energy and transmission line permitting. Congress approved IRA funding in 2022, which is also being utilized by BLM to recruit 30 park rangers and outdoor recreation planners to assist with the increased visitation to the 245 million acres managed by BLM.
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