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Cuts to Public Broadcasting; Western Wildfires Updates Ainsley Coogan
House, Senate Vote to Gut Public Media
In the early hours of the morning Friday, the republican-controlled House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing a rescission bill to revoke 9 billion dollars in funds allocated to public broadcasting stations, as well as, foreign aid.
H.R.4 passed in a 51 to 48 vote count at around 2 A.M. Thursday. The House vote closed at 216 to 213. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for signature.
Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska sided with Democrats in opposing the measure. Those opposed to the bill were concerned with what they felt was blind support of Trump’s agenda.
In an interview with Common Dreams, Senator Patty Murray said, “At 2 am, Republicans just passed a bill to defund public broadcasting and lifesaving aid because Trump told them to—they wouldn’t even protect rural radio or emergency alerts.”
Colorado Democratic Representative Dianne DeGette told Colorado Public Radio, “Congress holds the power of the purse…we’re watching that power slip away as Republicans continuously cave to Trump’s demands and dismantle the very institutions we’re meant to protect.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that funds community and public broadcasting stations around United States, is expected to face at least 1 billion dollars in cuts because of the measure.
Looking at the numbers in Colorado, Rocky Mountain PBS and KRCC expect to lose around 10% of their budget, CPR expects to lose around 6 %, and rural stations like KVNF and KSUT stand to lose the most – near 20% of their total budget. KGNU expects to lose 15.5% of its budget.
The Trump Administration described this as a ‘test case’ meaning that if they’re successful in securing the funding cuts, there will be more cuts to come.
Boulder Adds Trailhead Cameras for “Know Before You Go Program”
The City of Boulder has installed new livestreaming cameras at its most trafficked trailheads. The goal of these cameras is to provide recreation information like how crowded parking lots may be and current weather conditions. That’s according to a press release from the City of Boulder.
These cameras can be found overlooking the parking lots at trailheads like Flagstaff, Chautauqua, Wonderland Lake, Flatiron Vista, and even atop the Chautauqua Ranger Cottage.
The City of Boulder of Open Space said that the cameras may also be used to provide evidence for law enforcement. Phillip Yates, a spokesperson for the City of Boulder Open Space, told The Colorado Sun that law enforcement agencies, “may retrieve footage from cameras located in public spaces.”
Crews Gain Ground in Wildfire Containment Thursday
As of yesterday evening, firefighters have started to contain three of the five wildfires burning in Western Colorado.
The Colorado Sun reports that the fire burning in the Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area west of Delta, was 16% contained. The Deer Creek and Turner gulch fire still remain under 10% containment while two other fires rage in the area’s dry conditions.
Evacuation orders were issued for surrounding areas affected by the Turner fire and remain in place for the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. Altogether, the fires are burning at least 22,000 acres of Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties, caused by the extreme drought conditions afflicting the region.
A verbal declaration of emergency from Governor Polis has freed up firefighting personnel resources, says The Colorado Sun. Along with air-control, more efforts are being made by fire teams to contain fires using ground dampening methods.
