Colorado officials criticize ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ NOAA layoffs amid weather safety fears
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Mass layoffs are underway for forecasters and meteorologists across the country — and Colorado elected officials and forecasting offices are concerned over what it could mean for their employees and crucial state services.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, the Trump Administration notified the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that it would begin mass layoffs of up to 10% of its workforce — roughly 1,300 employees, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
The layoffs are nothing new. Since President Trump’s inauguration, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have fired thousands of federal employees across government organizations as part of a broader effort to reduce federal spending and streamline government operations.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the biggest centers for climate science with laboratories in Boulder, houses the National Weather Service and its forecasting offices in Grand Junction, Boulder and Pueblo.
The National Weather Service employs scientists and experts from across Colorado who provide accurate forecasting, severe weather alerts and information about surrounding wildfires, among other responsibilities.
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“This goes well beyond politics and will have a big impact on weather forecasting in general,” Colorado meteorologist Seth Linden stated in a Facebook post. “… there is no doubt this will have a negative impact on weather forecasting, model development and human health and safety to say the least.”
The firings have only impacted probationary employees who have been in their position for less than a year, former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Chief Scientist Craig McLean told the Associated Press.
The firings are expected to continue despite a San Francisco federal judge’s ruling that the firings are likely illegal in a lawsuit brought by labor unions.
Theo Stein, a Boulder-based spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, declined to share whether any of the office’s employees have been impacted by the layoffs.
“(The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation’s environmental and economic resilience,” Stein and National Weather Service spokesperson Susan Buchanan said in identical prepared statements to the Vail Daily. “We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.”
Colorado’s elected officials were quick to voice their concerns when news of the firings broke, especially since the organization also has a series of longstanding partnerships with other federal agencies like the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration. Those partnerships have bolstered national security, provided resources for military missions, improved air safety and equipped American farmers with critical information.
“Gutting (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) without any plan weakens Colorado’s ability to respond to wildfires or track the West’s worsening drought,” Sen. John Hickenlooper wrote on X. “Science and weather services for Americans is not government waste. Firing the hardworking Coloradans who do this work with no strategy or communication is wrong.”
Rep. Joe Neguse, who represents Colorado’s 2nd District, and Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and Hickenlooper sent a letter to the deputy inspector general at the Department of Commerce on Thursday evening demanding an independent investigation into the dismantling of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to a Friday news release.
“We’re also deeply concerned about recent reports of mass terminations at NOAA facilities in our home state of Colorado,” the letter states. “The work our scientists and civil servants do at NOAA is essential to U.S. national security, as well as the personal safety and daily lives of Americans. Dismantling NOAA or compromising its capabilities would put Americans across the country at great risk.”
