As Elon Musk and the Trump administration continue to pursue their goal of reducing the federal government’s spending by $2 trillion – nearly 30% of its typical operating budget – the impact of these cuts is being felt around the country and in Colorado.
Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, testified in February that federal funding freezes would affect over 350 grants supporting $300 million worth of programs. They could also determine the fates of nearly 500 employees.
Public lands, managed by the department and its various subdivisions, make up over a third of Colorado. While the federal funding freezes were temporarily lifted on the order of a federal judge on Feb. 3, more than $570 million has yet to be made accessible again to state groups as of Feb. 10.
These freezes threaten more than just land management: water, wildlife, minerals, energy and wildfire issues could all be seriously impacted. This is especially concerning for Colorado, which is one of the most dangerous states for wildfires.
In Boulder, an underground coal seam that had been smoldering since potentially the late 1800s — and likely started several small fires in the 2000s — was finally put out at the end of February. But that was only due to the efforts of crews hired with federal money, and the program’s funds were frozen temporarily.
Although they were eventually able to resume work, there are still 38 coal mine fires known to officials across Colorado, and efforts to clean them up are dependent upon federal funding through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Without that money, the state will be forced to prioritize which of these fires to work on, leaving the rest to “fester and someday combust, like ‘hidden giants,'” according to Tim Mauck, the deputy director of the Colorado Natural Resources Department.
These coal seams can spark wildfires, but they also release toxic gases and cause the ground to cave in through the process of subsidence, where the burning coal turns to ash, leaving voids that weaken the supporting structure above. This instability worsens, eventually causing collapse.
While geographic and satellite data can occasionally predict this occurrence, many happen too quickly to anticipate, sometimes with deadly results.
Even though federal funding is crucial to many of these initiatives, the added responsibility is now falling to the state, which recently announced $2.4 million for 26 trail management projects around Colorado this year.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) – which also balances state parks and wildlife – traditionally plays a smaller role in trail maintenance. Now, organizations like the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative are calling on them to become more involved.
“I think there is a growing awareness within CPW that the public would certainly welcome them having a larger role as the federal government becomes much harder to work with and more unpredictable,” Lloyd Athearn, the nonprofit’s executive director, said.
Other non-profits like the Colorado Trail Foundation (CTF) are more concerned about the more than 150 Forest Service workers across Colorado who have lost their jobs, noting that work on public lands often means navigating bureaucracies across the state.
“We coordinate with the USFS on every project we take on… the reduction of staff across all agencies will hinder our ability to get project approval, coordinate trail work, and maintain or improve some sections of the trail,” Executive Director Paul Talley said.
The lack of staffing is expected to impact other organizations as well, like the Colorado Search and Rescue Association and various small businesses that depend upon permits from the USFS in order to operate.
But the state of Colorado can’t afford to assume complete responsibility for initiatives left behind by the federal government. It’s a gap that the CTF will depend upon the community to fill.
“While the recent changes we currently face offer up a unique challenge, we believe that our staff, volunteers, donors and supporters are the real difference makers,” Talley said.
