A Wave of Cuts from Every Level of Government

Government funding cuts have been arriving from every direction—federal, state, and local. Federal cuts to clean energy and environmental programs have become routine, prompting a wave of lawsuits challenging those decisions.  

Our state legislature protected state-funded environmental projects, but reluctantly cut $40 million from environmental education programs for children.

Counties and cities trying to write their budgets for the coming year, are looking at drafts that keep them awake at night. The federal cuts are the result of policy choices; the state cuts are the result of funding shortages, and the local cuts... well, we'll see.  

Many of the federal cuts have been challenged in court, and some have been reinstated, or might be in the future. More federal cuts may be coming.  

At the federal level, the government typically spends more than it collects in taxes, so federal budgets aren't required to balance. At the state level in Washington, there is a firm constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, so legislators' choices are limited to choosing what to cut and/or how much to raise taxes to avoid state debt.

This year, state legislators faced a projected shortfall of $12 billion to $16 billion in the next four years. They responded by cutting $7 billion in expenses and raising revenue by $8.7 billion.

There was plenty of pain in that $7 billion of cuts to higher education, child care, health care, environmental education, and other programs. And since the legislature adjourned last spring, the state revenue forecast has continued to fall, so there is continuing fear about cuts to come.

Cuts to Environmental Education

Mendy Harlow, Executive Director of the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, laments the loss of funding for kids' education programs. "You can't care about what you don't know about," she says. She worries that the $40 million, 100 percent cut in state funding for immersive, overnight environmental experiences for elementary students bodes ill for the future of salmon.

Her organization is also struggling with federal cuts that disrupted their Americorps program, which supported six staffers who had to be laid off while a legal challenge to a federal cut to that program worked its way through the courts. By the time the cut was reinstated, the laid-off employees had been forced to find other jobs and could not be rehired. To make matters worse, Harlow's organization had paid Americorps $18,000 per employee for those six positions, and it was not refunded.

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service annual operating grant of $131,000 was also cut this year.

But despair is not in her vocabulary. "Small local foundations help us make ends meet," she reports. "We have managed to scrape together enough to fund our Salmon in the Schools program for nine out of the ten Title I schools we serve—those are the schools with the most kids from low-income families."

Chase Buffington is the Director of Cispus, a 68-acre campsite in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and he tells a similar story of enormous financial loss and the struggle to connect kids to the natural world. "Washington was a leader in its support for programs where students learn about forest ecology, ferns, and themselves." He agrees with Mendy Harlow that their programs have the greatest benefit for students from marginalized schools and communities. He also faces a similar challenge to find enough support from local nonprofits, foundations, and individual donors to stay afloat.

It is certainly conceivable that local philanthropy could help Cispus, the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, and other environmental education groups survive these hard times.

Federal Cuts Jeopardize Clean Energy & Jobs

Several major federal clean-energy programs were eliminated this year. One of the first to go was an Environmental Policy Administration $7 billion Solar for All program, including Washington state's $156 million share, which would have expanded solar energy for low-income households.

Next came the cancellation of a $7.6 billion Department of Energy grant program to pay for clean energy projects. Our state's share of that cut was $1.1 billion. And Lewis County's share was $46 million, of which $36 million was planned to build hydrogen power infrastructure and to help replace jobs lost as the state's last coal-generated power plant closes this coming December. The remaining $10 million would have launched a CleanFiber Inc. facility.

In a mostly rural county like Lewis County, losing a promised $46 million investment is a significant economic shock.  

Federal policy is also turning away from clean energy in other ways that will directly affect us. Renewable energy tax credits for wind and solar will disappear for projects that start construction after July 5, 2026, or come online after the end of 2027. Clean hydrogen projects have similar deadlines one year later.  

For consumers, a 30 percent tax credit for solar panels, battery storage, and heat pumps will expire at the end of this year, and the tax credit for electic vehicles has already expired.  

Governor Ferguson's office estimates statewide job losses of 21,800 by 2030 due to funding and tax credit losses, and a $115 annual increase in household electricity costs.

Our Communities Continue to Show Up

Uncertainty is the hallmark of our time. We have seen sudden changes in our economy and our government. We are sure to see more. The one certainty is that we will need to stay alert, flexible, and attuned to the needs of our neighbors in the months and years to come.

Even as environmental systems face new pressures, the strength of the South Sound has always come from its people—neighbors caring for shared places, educators inspiring young learners, and community members giving what they can.

As we shared in our recent story on The State of South Sound Nonprofits, even when challenges feel overwhelming, there is always something we can do.

• Give something. Support local environmental organizations—those conserving salmon habitat, teaching kids about forests and watersheds, expanding access to clean energy, or restoring critical ecosystems. We shared two organizations in this story, and there are many more working in our area that you can get plugged into.  

• Do something. Volunteer your time. Restoration crews, outdoor learning centers, and environmental education groups all rely heavily on volunteers. Plant native species, help teach kids, restore streams, or support outdoor programs—hands-on work that makes an immediate difference.

• Join something. Add your voice to state and national advocacy efforts dedicated to environmental protection and clean-energy transition. Great places to start include Washington Wildlife & Recreation Coalition and the Environmental Priorities Coalition.

Every system we rely on—water, forests, climate, and community—reflects the choices we make together. The future of our environment depends not just on policy, but on the people who choose to keep showing up.