Phillips: Aspen deserves the truth

Aspen has always valued truth, science, and stewardship of our environment. That’s why what is happening in Washington should alarm every one of us.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — institutions that for decades provided objective data — now face growing risks of politicization. If job reports are distorted, how do businesses plan? If public health data is manipulated, how do hospitals prepare? And if climate data is downplayed, how do mountain towns like Aspen safeguard our economy and environment?

At the same time, courts have repeatedly struck down executive orders, leaving agencies spinning their wheels, communities in limbo, and taxpayer resources wasted.

Perhaps most dangerous are the rollbacks of climate protections. Rules that limited methane leaks, strengthened fuel efficiency, and preserved public lands have been stripped away. For Aspen, this is not abstract: Shrinking snowpack, intensifying wildfires, and stressed rivers threaten our way of life and economy.

This is not about politics. It is about truth, law, and our children’s future. Aspenites know what’s at stake because we see it in our mountains and feel it in our valley. We must demand transparency, accountability, and restoration of protections before the damage becomes irreversible.

Michael Phillips, former budget officer for Aspen

Basalt