Three Utah federal buildings removed from disposal list

Three federal buildings in Utah previously marked for sale by the Trump administration have been removed from a closure list. The General Services Administration (GSA) had proposed selling off 443 buildings but has now narrowed that number down to just eight, none of which are in Utah. The three Utah buildings that were originally on the list include the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City, an IRS center in Ogden, and a facility in St. George. The GSA had stated that selling these buildings could save more than $430 million in annual operating costs. However, they have now decided to focus their efforts on disposing of only eight buildings located in seven different states. The agency is seeking interested bidders and aims to work with local governments and other stakeholders. In explaining the change, the GSA noted that they received overwhelming feedback after publishing the initial list. They are refocusing their approach to maximize the value of federal real estate. The remaining buildings on the list were chosen based on costs, utilization, and local market conditions. This decision comes amid a national focus on efficiency and cost-saving measures led by the Department of Government Efficiency, overseen by businessman Elon Musk. Recent months have seen significant layoffs among federal workers in Utah, and state officials are being urged to adopt similar approaches in their legislation.