By Katie McKellar | Senior Reporter
A federal judge has halted the Trump administration’s plans to restructure the U.S. Forest Service and relocate its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City.
The preliminary order, however, could be short lived. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, in California’s northern district, noted budget restrictions on the reorganization expire in less than two months, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture “will soon have the opportunity to convince Congress of the merits of those plans.”
In today’s Dispatch we report on the details of that ruling, bring you information on upcoming RECA clinics and explain how spiking energy prices are fueling inflation.
“Decisions affecting Western forests and communities should be made closer to the people who know these lands best, not by bureaucrats and special interests thousands of miles away in Washington, D.C. We hope this decision is quickly reversed so Forest Service leadership can better serve the West.” — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President Stuart Adams on the ruling blocking the Forest Service’s restructuring.
A sign for a campsite managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the Ashley National Forest is pictured on July 19, 2026. (McKenzie Romero/Utah News Dispatch)
By Katie McKellar
In blocking the reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service, the judge said Congress has deliberately restricted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “ability to reorganize without congressional buy-in.”
The USDA — which oversees the Forest Service — “has almost certainly been violating those restrictions,” the judge wrote, adding that the pause on the plan “is necessary to protect the congressional prerogative, prevent irreparable harm to federal employees, and vindicate the public interest.”
A fireball rises into the sky over Nevada after the U.S. government detonated a 61-kiloton device on June 4, 1953. Nuclear weapons experiments at the Nevada Test Site spread fallout to other states, including Utah, research and records show. (Getty Images)
By McKenzie Romero
Utahns seeking federal compensation after they or their loved ones were affected by Cold War-era nuclear weapons testing can get help with their applications through Intermountain Health’s Downwinders Clinic.
The health provider has scheduled another series of meetings to answer questions and review applications for payments from the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.
A gas station advertises gas and diesel prices in Forest Glen, Md., on Oct. 5, 2026. More than half a dozen states have enacted tax relief to ease the burden on consumers as fuel prices continue to surge. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)
STATELINE
By Tim Henderson
Inflation grew to 3.7% last month, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Spikes in energy prices were largely to blame. Gas is up 34%, and fuel oil (including diesel) is up 72% amid the ongoing Iran war.
“Inflation has wiped out wage gains for 6 months now,” Heather Long, the chief economist for Navy Federal, wrote in a social media post. “It’s a financial squeeze. Americans are trying to work more hours to make up for it, but many are still falling behind.”
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