State officials said Thursday that budget cuts, reducing staff and other radical changes pose a real threat to California’s environment and oppose progress in climate change.
In terms of wildfire response, water resources, natural land and clean energy, the gathering of senior state leaders highlights the way the gold state has long worked with federal agencies and how the Trump administration’s actions have put this collaboration at risk.
“We want federal agencies to succeed, and we actually need them to succeed,” said Wade Crowfoot, California's Secretary of Natural Resources. He noted that 48% of the land in the state is owned and managed by the federal government. “Because if they fail, it will affect the prosperity and safety of Californians.”
State agencies such as the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Working Group, the Department of Water Resources and the Energy Commission are all working to keep pace with the rapid pace of federal cuts, officials said. The Trump administration said its changes were intended to reduce federal waste, save taxpayers money and increase U.S. energy independence.
However, state officials are increasingly concerned about shifting national priorities, including 10% layoffs in the U.S. Department of Forest Service – The largest federal firefighting entity, often alongside the California Forestry and Fire Department to manage forests and combat fires. Patrick Wright, director of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, said many of the outgoing staff of Forest Services are in logistics and transportation, which is crucial to ensuring firefighters can get the job done.
“When we both put out the fire and try to prevent it, all the knowledge will be so crucial that the entire system will suffer,” he said.
Wright noted that the president's proposed 2026 budget will also eliminate many of the Forest Service's top scientists, which he said will have a negative impact on data systems, analytics and other key tools. While California has made progress in efforts to improve forest health and pass through sparse forests, prescribed burns and fuel disruptions, Wright said he is concerned about the impact of the presidential order. Open millions of acres of national woodland Used for wood production, including all 18 national forests in California.
“It’s not that wood is not important, but we can’t focus on the fires and forest resilience needs in California,” he said. “The serious concern for forest service staff is that if we focus only on wood, we will lose focus on protecting communities, preventing wildfires, protecting habitats and other key successful measures.”
But officials are not only worried about wildfires. Karla Nemeth, director of California’s Department of Water Resources, said the agency is changing from several changes to key components of its water supply system.
These include a reduction in staff from the Federal Reclamation Agency, which oversees the Central Valley project, a massive network of dams, reservoirs and canals that provide water supply across the state. The Central Valley Project is a federal companion to the state water project, which performs similar functions.
Nimes said that this year, the reclamation bureau lost about 1,400 employees (or more than a quarter of its workforce) and faced potential budget cuts of 33%.
“Because a lot of our infrastructure is operated in a collaborative way, it does have an extended impact on how our entire system is combined,” Nimes said.
Nemes said the state also worked closely with the Reclamation Agency to manage the California Flood Control Agency, where there are now several embankments and dam safety projects in danger. These include projects to enhance the system along the U.S. River, Sacramento (one of the most flood-prone urban areas in the United States), and respond to devastating 2023 dike violations Overwhelmed the Pajaro community.
Other state leaders, including California State Park Director Armando Quintero, have similar concerns. He said the National Park Service faces a potential $100 million budget, losing 24% of its permanent staff since January. More than 100 principal positions are vacant. This has resulted in cancelled trips in nine California national parks, closed campgrounds, reduced time and other impacts.
Meanwhile, all 18 national forests in California have lost their employees and their regional offices are likely to be phased out, he said. National A roadless area and National Monument Similarly, faces the threat of lost protection and enclosure.
Jenn Eckerle, deputy secretary of marine and coastal policy for the California Natural Resources Agency, said the state faces losses in coastal conservation funds, including about $870 million, which the country has been cancelled previously awarded by a federal emergency management agency’s construction and resilient infrastructure infrastructure and community grant.
One such project is a $18 million BRICS grant that will help the city of Imperial Beach protect infrastructure, habitat and coastal areas from sea levels and rise through natural dams, Ecker said.
“Obviously, these actions will hinder California's forecasts, responses and adaptation to climate impacts such as sea level rise, ocean acidification, ocean heat waves, and will have an impact on our coastal economy and ecosystems,” she said.
Perhaps one of the biggest areas to suffer is California’s ambitious clean energy. The state has been committed to achieving carbon neutrality throughout the economy by 2045 and has been a national leader in the development towards solar, wind and electric vehicles.
Chief of Staff Robert Chun, chair of the California Energy Commission, said the Trump administration has taken action to end the long-term tax credit for clean energy. They are only suitable for projects that are put into use by December 2027, or construction begins by July 2026.
Juen said the government will also cancel the $3.7 billion reward managed by the Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Demonstration Office — at least $800 million should go to California. He said the office staff had been reduced from about 250 to 35.
He added that the Trump administration has removed basic energy efficiency regulations that have existed for decades and made it difficult for California to reduce pollution by revoking exemptions that approved tailpipe emission standards under the Clean Air Act.
The results of these changes may be poor air quality, higher energy costs, reduced grid reliability and limited growth in new industries such as artificial intelligence, Junn said. But, he said, he was optimistic about the country and the country’s progress in clean energy, which he believed was inevitable.
“They can slow down the transition to clean energy here and there, but they can’t stop it,” Juan said. “We should not retreat from our vision for a clean energy future and we should not lower our expectations that we can achieve in California.”
Indeed, state officials say there are multiple ways to back down. California is the party in several lawsuits against the Trump administration, including one challenging its attempt to overturn state clean air exemptions. The state is also working to hire ruled federal employees, especially those working on important projects.
Last month, conservation groups across the state and state also gathered to oppose a Republican-led proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the western country, which could potentially sell about 10 million acres in California. Mike Lee (R-utah), who leads this effort, ultimately Proposals.
“California remains committed to our priorities and values,” said Crowfoot, the state's natural resources secretary. He encourages residents to remain informed, express their concerns to public officials, and strive to build a broad bipartisan coalition based on a common priorities when expanding the state's environment.
“What we are talking about today is something we all care about,” he said.
