The Department of the Interior has abandoned plans to shut down one of its operations in Rolla and transfer the duties to Denver.

The department abandoned the plan after Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson put language in an appropriations bill telling the department to abandon the plan. She says backers of the Rolla office have been trying to two years to convince the Interior Department that the services provided by the office are of a higher quality than the department could provide through the private sector. 

The department had planned to privatize the functions of the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center in Rolla and shift its responsibilities to an expanded office in Denver.

 

Download Bob Priddy’s interview with Jo Ann Emerson (5:04 usgs.mp3)