Colorado Sierra Club Celebrates Bill Co-Sponsored by Rep. Neguse to Stop Damaging Staffing Cuts to USFS, DOI, & DOE

Denver, Colo.- Today, the Sierra Club Colorado Chapter is urging Colorado U.S. Representatives Jeff Hurd,Lauren Boebert, and Jeff Crank, all members of the House Committee on Natural Resources, to support legislationthat places a moratorium on devastating Reductions in Force (RIFs) at the Department of Interior, The U.S. Forest Service, and the Department of Energy. The legislation is co-sponsored by Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse.

The Supreme Court recently ruled to allow the Trump Administration to move forward with mass layoffs of federal employees, including substantial staffing cuts to the public lands workers who conduct essential fire mitigation work and ensure public safety at our parks. As wildfires burn across the west and national and state parks continue to attract millions of visitors, the Trump administration has proposed a 30% cut to National Park Service funding for the next fiscal year and 65% cuts to the U.S. Forest Service. These are the largest cuts in both agency's history. The Administration has already fired more than 6,000 employees from the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. Continued budget and staffing cuts will create serious health and safety issues and negatively impact Coloradans' ability to enjoy treasured outdoor spaces.

"Public lands are at the heart of Colorado's identity, economy, and way of life," said Margaret Kran-Annexstein, Director of the Colorado Sierra Club. "Slashing the workforce responsible for protecting our forests, managing wildfire threats, and maintaining our national parks is dangerous and irresponsible. These cuts jeopardize public safety, threaten our ecosystems, and put the future of our shared outdoor spaces at risk. As members of the Natural Resources committee, Representatives Hurd, Crank, and Boebert must act now to protect our public lands and the communities that depend on them by supporting this critical legislation."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.