Neguse says NOAA cuts could have "devastating" impact on Boulder
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) told Axios that cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and its local research institutes would have a "devastating" economic impact on Boulder and limit the United States' ability to mitigate environmental disasters.
Why it matters: NOAA and CIRES' environmental research efforts amount to "life-saving work" that is "critical for national security," Neguse told Axios.
- Proposed cuts to NOAA would have an especially large impact in Colorado, the only state that houses two collaborative academic and nonprofit research institutions.
Driving the news: President Trump is reportedly proposing cutting NOAA's overall budget by nearly $1.7 billion, to $4.5 billion, as part of a larger effort to defund federal programs, especially those doing climate and science work.
State of play: Neguse and Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) penned a letter April 24 to Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, saying the cuts would be "extremely short-sighted and costly."
- "Even short-term interruptions in their research could threaten the safety and economies of the communities that [cooperative institutes] serve across the nation," the letter read.
Catch up quick: Colorado is home to the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado and the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University.
- NOAA's Boulder campus employs about 800 people; CIRES has a local workforce of around 900.
- Nicole Mueksch, a spokesperson with CU, said CIRES' work "benefits people across Colorado, the nation and the globe. ... Cutting funding to these cooperative institutes would have significant consequences [for] human life and property."
Flashback: NOAA's Boulder campus already saw a round of layoffs in February.
- Neguse visited the NOAA and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in April to investigate reports that the Department of Government Efficiency was on site.
- He confirmed DOGE was not present at that time, but told Axios that anxiety among workers was "heightened."
The latest: The National Renewable Energy Lab in nearby Golden saw layoffs impacting 114 workers on Monday, according to CPR.
- "From NOAA to NIST and now NREL, this administration's relentless attacks on the federal workforce continue to have disastrous impacts on our state's hardworking scientists and researchers," Neguse told CPR News.
What they're saying: "The economic impact that these labs have [for Boulder] is second to none," Neguse said. "You're talking about billions of dollars in collateral economic impact."
- Federally funded research, government services and business collaboration in the Boulder region account for more than $2.3 billion in economic activity and support a workforce of more than 12,000 employees, according to CO-LABS and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.
- "The folks who work at NOAA and NIST are our neighbors," Neguse told Axios. "To see these individuals unceremoniously purged by the Trump administration and now to have their careers … in limbo, it falls so short in my view of who we are as a country."
- The Boulder Chamber of Commerce and CU and CIRES administrators also penned letters in support of maintaining NOAA funding.
What's next: Neguse said he and other Colorado lawmakers are fighting to keep the proposed cuts out of the final budget, which Trump could unveil as soon as Friday.
- "It's vital that we ensure these laboratories remain fully funded," Neguse said.