This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
The director of Wyoming’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) state office has been placed on administrative leave due to violating ethics rules and procedures.
A federal investigation by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found Andrew Archuleta, who served as Wyoming BLM’s director since 2022, violated ethics rules and procedures, as first reported by E&E News.
Archuleta is said to have accepted a gift of dinner and drinks from an owner of a commercial sign company. He also had his assistant make travel arrangements for his girlfriend, and he used a government car to drive his girlfriend to and from Buffalo. This raised red flags for the OIG, which issued its report in mid-February.
It’s unclear how long Archuleta’s administrative leave is for or if he will still be employed by the BLM going forward. According to WyoFile reporting, Kris Kirby was named acting state director. She served previously under Archuleta as associate state director for BLM Wyoming.
The state office oversees 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming, and 43 million acres of subsurface minerals. It’s one of the largest offices acreage-wise in the country.
In his three-year tenure, Archuleta was at the helm of the agency while it crafted its controversial Rock Springs Resource Management Plan. The initial draft was conservation oriented and received unprecedented backlash from Wyomingites – namely politicians and energy industry stakeholders. Ultimately, the finalized version of the plan attempted to strike a balance between industry and conservation. While it’s still in place, the Trump administration and Congressional leaders are trying to throw it out.
