In the News
Sheryl Buchman and Erica Solove, whose homes were destroyed in the Marshall Fire, both discovered they were underinsured as they started to rebuild in Superior’s Sagamore neighborhood.
But neither ended up applying for low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration to help make up the difference, saying the process was too cumbersome at a time they were already overwhelmed.
“We just didn’t have it in us to fight another battle,” Solove said.
U.S. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark joined U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse in Superior on Friday to tour Marshall Fire rebuilding efforts with affected residents.
The Dec. 30, 2021, wildfire was the most destructive in Colorado history. It destroyed more than 1,000 homes, burned over 6,000 acres, caused more than $2 billion in property damage and killed two people.
Federal firefighters face steep pay cuts over the next month as a 2021 salary increase expires Sept. 30 and lawmakers from both parties scramble to prevent a mass exodus from the rank-and-file.
WASHINGTON — Colorado’s eight U.S. House members and two U.S. senators spend most of their time in Washington working more than 1,600 miles away from the nearly 6 million people they represent.
So what are they up to?
With temporary pay hikes for federal wildland firefighters set to expire in the coming weeks, union officials are warning that the 15,000-member workforce could face a mass exodus if Congress fails to make the increases permanent.
Max Alonzo, national business representative for the National Federation of Federal Employees, said recently that many firefighters were likely to depart for higher paying jobs at state and municipal agencies, or power companies, once they reached the “pay cliff” — the point at which temporary raises end.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday mobilized 20,000 young people as part of a new American Climate Corps that will train the next generation of workers in using climate resilient strategies to conserve public lands.
Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse applauded the Biden Administration’s launch of a New Deal-style American Climate Corps on Wednesday.
Since entering Congress, Neguse has been advocating for a nationwide service program that trains the next generation of public lands managers, green energy and climate resilience workers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — After being thwarted by Congress, President Joe Biden will use his executive authority to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps that will serve as a major green jobs training program.
The union representing federal wildland firefighters is warning of a mass exodus by the end of the month.
It says thousands of federal wildland firefighters could walk off the job by Sept. 30 unless Congress intervenes to prevent a 50% cut in pay.
Those impacted include some of the most skilled firefighters in the country, including the Alpine Hotshot Crew based in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Two years ago, as historic wildfires threatened lives and homes, straining local and state resources, Alpine Hotshots came to Colorado's rescue.
Congress is back from summer break, and lawmakers have just a couple of weeks to prevent a significant pay cut for thousands of wildland firefighters.