The actions taken by a newly-elected President on their first day in office reflect their priorities and help define their policies for the next four years. Unfortunately, many of the Executive Actions taken since January 20th do not reflect the priorities of North Fork Valley communities. Instead they promise to exploit our public lands for private profit, threaten broad and long-standing environmental protections, and undermine years of grassroots work by WSCC and our members. Collaboration and partnership with federal and state officials is critical to our efforts to protect the land, air, water and wildlife of the West Slope.
During the last Trump Administration policies similar to those issued on January 20th directly contributed to attempts to remove protections from 35 million acres of public lands, including the opening of more than 95-percent of the North Fork Valley to oil and gas leasing and development. As a result, WSCC sued and under our settlement agreement work is ongoing to amend federal land management plans to ensure they better reflect the needs of those who live and work in our area. These new Executive Actions, once again, direct federal agencies to make politically motivated decisions that favor extractive industries and their political allies.
Coloradans on the West Slope, including businesses, farmers, ranches, and elected officials, overwhelmingly support policies that support healthy communities, the environment, and our public lands. Because the West Slope is on the front lines of climate change, support for climate-smart agriculture, clean energy initiatives, and stronger protections for public lands all go hand-in-hand with sustaining our way of life and supporting local economies. As this new Administration gets underway we hope they can recognize that responsible energy development in places like Western Colorado often requires prioritizing the health of people, habitats, and the environment over politics.
Selection of Executive Actions Taken on January 20th:
Regulatory Freeze Pending Review
→ Allows newly appointed bureaucrats to put their finger on the scale of rules designed to protect public health and the environment.
→ Cuts to the Forest Service budget already threaten the hiring of seasonal employees, and this order further limits the hiring of most new federal employees.
→ Revokes clean energy initiatives and pauses federal funding, including for Inflation Reduction Act programs, like those funding WSCC’s North Fork Irrigation Diversion Improvement projects. Encourages policies to support the development of natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources.
Putting America First In International Environmental Agreements
→ Withdraws the U.S. from the International Paris Climate Agreement and the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, and revokes the U.S. International Climate Finance Plan.
Declaring a National Energy Emergency
→ The U.S. is producing more oil and gas domestically than at any point in our history, yet this order prioritizes even more development at the expense of environmental protections like the Endangered Species Act.
Other Executive Actions target specific clean energy projects or place-based protections (e.g. Alaska).
Additionally, dozens of existing policies were reversed including:
- Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis
- Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad
- Establishment of the Climate Change Support Office
- Climate-Related Financial Risk
- Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks
- Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability
- Implementation of the Energy and Infrastructure Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
- Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All
- Withdrawal of Certain Areas of the United States Outer Continental Shelf from Oil or Natural Gas Leasing
Conclusion
As these and future Executive Actions are implemented we encourage all members of our community to consider their potential impacts. Please do not hesitate to reach out to WSCC to share your thoughts about how best to organize our community around our shared values. A strong, unified North Fork Valley will be the best way to limit the impact of heavy-handed, top-down policies that dismiss the realities of climate change, and demonize the important role of federal employees and funding in rural areas like Western Colorado.
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