DENVER, Colo. — As rural communities continue cleaning up after several wildfires and extreme flooding tore through parts of the state this year, county officials are expressing concern over President Donald Trump's decision to deny state requests for federal aid.
Governor Jared Polis requested disaster relief funding following the Elk and Lee fires in Rio Blanco County in August and flooding in southwest Colorado in October.
The fires together burned more than 150,000 acres, while the Lee fire alone became the state's fifth-largest wildfire. Flooding in Archuleta, La Plata, and Mineral Counties led to evacuations of more than 400 homes and an estimated $13 million in damage to roads, bridges, and infrastructure, according to the state.
In two letters sent to Governor Jared Polis on Saturday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said the governor's requests for major disaster declarations did not warrant federal support.
In a statement to Scripps News Denver, White House Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the president responds to each request for federal assistance under the Stafford Act.
She said the president's decision to deny the requests was not political and the federal government helped Colorado fight fires by providing aerial support.
White River Electric Association (WREA) said the fires in Rio Blanco County caused nearly $24 million in damage to electrical infrastructure, including to facilities that provide power to natural gas producers in the Piceance Basin.
WREA said those producers provide an estimated 2% to 6% of the nation's total natural gas consumption.
Rio Blanco County Commissioner Callie Scritchfield said the fires left the county's oil and gas industry crippled.
"The oil and gas industry is the the lifeline for this county, and they are not being able to function at full capacity yet today because of the infrastructure damage," she said. "Our county relies on oil and gas income. It's over 60% of our budget for the county. So that's really going to be the biggest impact."
In southwestern Colorado, city and county officials remain concerned about fixing infrastructure after widespread flooding.
La Plata County Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton said FEMA funds would help pay for road repairs, bridge repairs, and reimburse wages for employees who worked around the clock during the floods.
"This denial of this FEMA declaration is, is yes, very disappointing, beyond disappointing," said Porter-Norton. "That's why we have FEMA, is when local resources are overwhelmed. Yes, we can absolutely use that money."
Porter-Norton said La Plata County has already used more than $200,000 from the county's general fund to pay for repairs. She said she hopes the decision to deny federal relief was not motivated by politics.
"Disasters do not have a partisan lens," she said. "We don't ever ask people when we're going out to respond to a disaster what their political party is."
Pagosa Springs Town Manager David Harris said the town is still searching for funds to clean up debris in the San Juan River and repair damages to some river features.
He said thanks to community donations, the town was able to hire crews from the Southwest Conservation Corps to clean up debris at parks.
"We knew there were about a dozen or so other disasters pending at FEMA... and so we started going to work and just in typical Pagosa style, you know, making phone calls and emailing and going to other state and federal agencies that did have funding available. And so we've started that process of getting some grants and loans to help do some of the projects," said Harris.
He said the denial of FEMA relief has forced the town to think on their toes and reallocate some funding to address immediate needs, like a bank stabilization project and sewer line replacements.
"I think we're just used to doing that a lot here, and we're very resilient as a community," he said. "The best part of this whole thing is that the community really rallied and came together."
Moving forward, state and county officials said they're working to appeal the federal government's decision to deny relief.
On Sunday, Polis and Democratic members of the state's congressional delegation called on President Trump to reverse the decision, calling the president’s actions “malicious and obscene.”
“President Trump's decision to deny Colorado’s request for critical federal assistance is unacceptable,” said Senator Michael Bennet in a statement. “Communities in Western Colorado are in serious need of help after the life-threatening flooding and historic wildfires earlier this year. Trump continues to use Coloradans for political games; it is malicious and obscene. A disaster is a disaster, regardless of what state in the country it took place. Together with Governor Polis and the Colorado delegation, I will take every available step to appeal this decision."
In his Sunday statement, Polis reiterated that residents impacted by the August fires and the October flooding deserve support rather than political maneuvering.
These new laws go into effect in Colorado on January 1st
Colorado will start 2026 with numerous new laws in place. From child care center fees to gun show requirements, here are six laws that take effect January 1st.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
