DENVER — Hundreds of weather forecasters and other National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) employees were fired Thursday in the latest round of layoffs by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a move officials said will likely cause needless deaths and a big hit to the U.S. economy.
In Colorado, NOAA operates a research institute. Denver7 reached out to NOAA asking if any employees at its Boulder campus were laid off. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
Per our long-standing practice, we are not discussing internal personnel and management matters.
NOAA 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.
We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission.
The spokesperson for NOAA confirmed there are about 800 NOAA employees in Boulder. That's a combination of federal workers, contractors and others, according to the spokesperson.
Former Colorado Congressman David Skaggs has a long standing relationship with the NOAA Research Institute in Boulder.
He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1986 to 1989, and played a crucial role in getting the David Skaggs Research Center built, which is where NOAA and the Boulder NWS forecast office are housed.
"When I went to Washington, I was able to convince my colleagues on the Public Works Committee that we should do a survey to see if this made sense economically. The survey came back that, yes, it had a good cost-benefit ratio for the government," Skaggs said. "I then proceeded to work to get the money appropriated to build the building, and it — from start to finish — it took 12 years, which was how long I was in Congress."
Skaggs told Denver7 said when he heard about the country-wide layoffs, concern set in.
"This is cutting off your nose despite your face, because these are people that provide absolutely essential life-saving services to the country," he said. "NOAA, especially here in Boulder, has been the sort of the lead scientific agency dealing with climate change. So much of what we know and are well advised to be worried about comes out of the science done here at these labs."
"I'm sadly almost certain that they are impacting Colorado," Skaggs added.
Denver7 chief meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo sat down with CPR's Ryan Warner to talk about the important work NOAA does and how it impacts Coloradans. You can check out their climate conversation in the player below
Skaggs emphasized he believes the layoffs will impact several different facets of forecasting.
"The immediate weather service stuff is also vitally important for day-to-day stuff, safe takeoffs at DIA, getting ready for big storms — you name it," he said.
For Eric Kelly, a firefighter and storm chaser in Colorado, concern for the agencies is also there.
"I mean, it's a really important relationship. You know, as we're out and about, as we're chasing anything we see as far as weather, whether it's severe weather or tornado, wildfire, the first people we call is the National Weather Service," Kelly told Denver7. "They are the only ones that really have the ability to notify the public of severe weather, of storms, of tornadoes, etc. We work hand-in-hand."
Kelly said these agencies are vital in helping with wildfire response and mitigation, too.
"I think about those cuts, meaning less staffing, and maybe staffing that are going to become more overworked," he said. "I think about any delay in response."
"Most people don't know the hard work that the National Weather Service does in and around wildfires, even on a daily basis, where we don't have active wildfires, they are still set," Kelly added. "They're still sending out and forecasting fire weather, whether it's red flag warnings, fire watches, etc., and then when we have those fires, their information is very critical to the firefighters in the command on scene to make their decisions."
Denver7 also reached out to Congresswoman Lauren Boebert for comment on the most recent round of layoffs impacting NOAA and NWS. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
President Trump campaigned on cutting the size of government and he is following through on that promise. With $36 trillion in debt hanging around the necks of our children, we need to make tough decisions about our federal workforce as we simply cannot afford business as usual anymore.
Skaggs told Denver7 he is planning on holding a "citizen's protest" against the latest round of layoffs outside of the NOAA Research Institute in Boulder on Monday, March 3.
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