Coloradans in Congress don’t mind being assertive, if it sways Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to locate federal headquarters for the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation in their home state.

In a House oversight committee hearing with Zinke Thursday, Rep. Scott Tipton, a Republican from Cortez, told Zinke, “Colorado would obviously be a prime location for you to be able to consider.”

Zinke has been flirting with the idea of consolidation and relocation for awhile. He said Thursday that BLM has 2,600 offices nationwide, and some of them definitely could move west. He said he would make a list of the best locations for the headquarters based on a lot of factors – many of which favor Colorado.

“My concern is making sure we’re going to a community that has a high quality of life, that’s affordable to the GS-5 to GS-7 (employees), great communities where we can attract millennials who will want to live there,” he told the House Natural Resources Committee.

“Colorado certainly fits that description.”

A GS-5 government employee earns up to about $38,000 a year. A GS-7 tops out at about $46,000 annually.

Meanwhile, Rep. Doug Lamborn, another member of the committee, hopes to bring the Bureau of Reclamation home office to Colorado Springs.

The Republican from Colorado Springs issued a statement after the meeting with Zinke.

“Secretary Zinke and the Department of Interior recognize the importance of our headwater state in the push to relocate key members of leadership to the Western states,” Lamborn said. “Choosing Colorado for the Department’s Bureau of Reclamation’s political leadership is excellent. The bureau and Colorado go together hand in glove in their mission to effectively manage water infrastructure.”

He concluded, “I suggest Colorado Springs, which is an affordable and great place to live.”

Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner wrote a letter to Zinke Thursday pushing Grand Junction as a new home for the Bureau of Land Management headquarters.

“Grand Junction is centrally located and offers easy access to a major interstate and an expanding airport, and has existing federal facilities and infrastructure,” wrote Bennet, a Democrat from Denver, and Gardner, a Republican from Yuma.

“Its reasonable cost-of-living and outstanding quality of life, along with its proximity to institutions like Colorado Mesa University, would help attract and retain high-quality employees – an important consideration as the BLM recruits the next generation of talented geologists, engineers, and land managers. Moreover, the community in Grand Junction is supportive of this opportunity and would work with you and your team to facilitate a successful move.”

Read the entire letter by clicking here.