CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Colorado Army National Guard Soldiers will conduct annual ski and winter training in Vail, Colorado, Feb. 14-17, 2020.
This training will enhance the Soldiers’ mountain skills while honoring Colorado as the original home of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division.
“Testing our warriors’ skills in a winter environment is critical to their readiness,” The Adjutant General of Colorado U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Loh said. “We’re also following a proud legacy of service handed down by our 10th Mountain veterans who first trained in Colorado.”
Many 10th Mountain veterans returned to Colorado following World War II and laid the foundations of Colorado’s ski industry.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Riva Ridge in Italy, where 10th Mountain Soldiers defeated Nazi forces on the slopes of the northern Apennine Mountains.
Additionally the CONG’s 157th Infantry is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau labor camp led by CONG U.S. Army Lt. Col. Felix Sparks.
A COARNG UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter used for mountain search and rescue and other domestic operations will land on Vail Mountain and be open to the public for viewing. The public will have the opportunity to view other equipment including a Small Unit Support Vehicle and a High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle. The Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package, a Special Forces all-terrain utility vehicle, and other team and individual military equipment used in high-altitude military and rescue operations will also be on view.
While training, members of the 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment (Mountain), will ski with the public, build snow caves, and demonstrate the CONG’s mountain infantry capabilities. Soldiers will also participate in a tribute parade and host a military ski race, both in Vail.
The events are open to the public, however some of the events may only be available to lift ticket holders.
Recruiters and unit representatives will be available to discuss the CONG’s missions and enlistment benefits.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A Colorado Springs man has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor poaching charges in three counties after he was accused by Colorado Parks and Wildlife of illegally killing 12 deer, 2 turkeys and a bighorn sheep ram across the region.
Iniki Vike Kapu, 27, entered one plea on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, in 4th Judicial District Court in Teller County.
On Monday, Feb. 3, Kapu appeared in the 11th Judicial District Court in Fremont County and pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a bighorn sheep. He also pleaded guilty to illegal possession of three or more big game animals.
His final sentencing was Tuesday, Feb. 11, in Fremont County when, as part of the plea agreement combining the two cases, Kapu was fined $4,600, sentenced to six months in jail and three years supervised probation. He received credit for the 111 days he spent in jail awaiting trial and immediately began serving the remainder of his sentence.
Kapu forfeited all the weapons he used in the poaching incidents. And he faces the possible loss of hunting privileges in Colorado when the case is reviewed by the CPW Commission.
CPW had accused Kapu of illegally killing big game animals in Teller, Fremont and Chaffee counties. The Chaffee County case, also in the 11th Judicial District, wrapped up May 22, 2019, when Kapu pleaded guilty to illegal possession of wildlife and was fined $900.
Kapu’s plea agreements cap an investigation by CPW officers started by a citizen tip about illegal killing of wildlife in October 2018 linked to a red truck found stuck and abandoned on a remote road in the Pike National Forest. It had a dead deer in the back and the meat was spoiled.
CPW officers Tim Kroening and Philip Gurule, plus a U.S. Forest Service officer, investigated and discovered a dead doe in the truck bed. It had not been properly processed after it was killed with a bow and arrow, causing its meat to spoil. They also discovered the license plates on the red truck were stolen and there was no carcass tag on the deer, which is required on a legally harvested animal.
The officers searched the red truck and found a Colorado fishing license inside belonging to Kapu, linking him to the truck. When they checked the CPW database, they learned Kapu did not have a valid hunting license, indicating the deer was poached.
A canvas of area landowners led Kroening and Gurule to a rancher who recognized the truck and directed them to a site in the forest where Kapu and a woman were camping in a trailer.
At the campsite, officers found evidence of poaching including deer hair, a turkey head, burned arrows, knives with blood and deer hair on them and rubber gloves with trace evidence.
In December 2018, as the Teller County investigation continued, Kapu was stopped in Chaffee County by a Forest Service officer who noticed a loaded firearm in his vehicle. Kapu fled, triggering a chase. He was captured when he wrecked his truck – the same red truck that had been stuck on the remote Teller County road.
Animal quarters were found when the truck wrecked. CPW Officer Kim Woodruff interviewed Kapu in jail and he claimed the quarters were from a roadkill deer he picked up in Teller County. CPW Officer Kroening later determined Kapu had no roadkill permit for the deer from Teller County, making it an illegal possession of wildlife. Kapu later pleaded guilty to illegal possession of wildlife and reckless driving for that incident.
On Feb. 4, 2019, a Fremont County resident reported a suspicious trailer and camp on BLM land. Officers arrived to find six deer heads, a ¾-curl bighorn sheep head and several quarters of meat outside the trailer, which turned out to be Kapu’s trailer from Teller County.
Ultimately, CPW officers executed search warrants and found ammunition, weapons including a rifle, bow, knives and other evidence linking Kapu to the poaching.
On Feb. 15, 2019, CPW executed a search warrant and two arrest warrants at a Colorado Springs house where surveillance had revealed Kapu was staying. Working with Colorado Springs Police, CPW officers arrested Kapu. A search produced spoiled game meat and other evidence that DNA analysis linked to the poached bighorn sheep ram.
Officers later obtained photos from social media of Kapu posing with poached deer, poached turkeys and a bow.
CPW’s Frank McGee, Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region, praised the public for calling CPW when they suspected poaching. And he credited Kapu’s plea agreement to relentless investigative work by CPW officers who amassed overwhelming evidence.
“As the agency responsible for perpetuating the wildlife resources of the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will not tolerate poaching,” McGee said. “Our officers are determined to stop people like Mr. Kapu who think they can simply go kill any animal they like. Mr. Kapu is not a hunter. He is a poacher.”
Have information of a possible crime against wildlife? Call CPW, or report it anonymously to Operation Game Thief, or OGT. Reach OGT by calling, toll-free, 1-877-COLO-OGT (or 877-265-6648). Verizon users can dial #OGT. Or email CPW at .
A $500 reward is offered for information on cases involving big game or endangered species, while $250 is offered for information on turkey and $100 for fishing and small game cases.
A Citizens Committee administers the reward fund, which is maintained by private contributions. The board may approve rewards of up to $1,000 for flagrant cases. Rewards are paid for information that leads to an arrest or a citation being issued.
To learn more about Operation Game Thief, visit the CPW website.
CANCELED: Due to adverse snow conditions, Saturday’s Open House is canceled.
This Saturday, see what Valentine’s Day looked like in the 1800s with vintage valentines, refreshments and family-friendly crafts, including a make-your-own valentine you can take home. Join us for this special Open House on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the 17 Mile House at 8181 South Parker Road in Centennial.
The Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado Search and Rescue Association praised the Colorado Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee’s unanimous support for the “Strengthen Backcountry Search and Rescue in Colorado Act” today, the first step as the bill moves through the legislative process.
This needed legislation supports the initial steps in redesigning the state-wide Backcountry Search and Rescue program through a study and stakeholder process, as well as a pilot program to provide mental health services to Backcountry Search and Rescue (BSAR) professionals.
“Colorado’s Backcountry Search and Rescue Teams are near and dear to my heart as someone who has worked alongside the brave men and women who provide such a vital service to the State of Colorado,” said Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “Colorado’s population growth and increase in outdoor recreation is causing strains to our backcountry search and rescue teams. Simply put, the demand for BSAR is far outpacing the human and technical resources, and we owe it to our volunteer heros to review how this service is organized and supported. This important legislation will study how the increase of rescues are impacting the financial, logistical and emotional health of volunteer rescuers and our local sheriffs and governments.”
The state’s existing search and rescue program was originally designed for incidental backcountry rescues. Colorado now averages an estimated 3,600 search-and-rescue incidents per year, straining BSAR professionals – who are unpaid volunteers – and local governments charged with ensuring the safety of recreationists in the backcountry. A Colorado Parks and Wildlife study showed that 92% of Coloradans recreate outdoors, and 62% recreate in parks.
“Colorado’s Backcountry Search and Rescue teams are literally the safety net for the Colorado way of life and our outdoor recreation economy. Our incredibly dedicated teams respond whenever called to Colorado’s highest peaks, steepest canyons, raging rivers, and everywhere in between. Their goal is always to safely find and transport those lost, stranded, or injured in our beautiful outdoors. Please know that we will continue to respond day or night to assist anyone in need. The system is strained but not yet broken,” said Jeff Sparhawk, President, Colorado Search and Rescue Association.
“Backcountry Search and Rescue is often dangerous, and volunteers receive no compensation, healthcare, or mental health services. However, our teams are human and clearly can suffer the effects of witnessing extreme trauma or death and being on-call 24/7. We appreciate the Colorado legislature’s consideration of this Bill and their guidance to see how we all can better support our backcountry search and rescue responders so that we can better provide these vital services for future residents and visitors to Colorado’s outdoors,” added Sparhawk.
No Colorado BSAR team charges for its services, so most depend on grants and donations to operate. BSAR professionals also cover their own costs, which amount to thousands of dollars annually. Roughly 2,800 unpaid BSAR professionals, serving on almost 50 non-profit BSAR teams, give an estimated 500,000 person-hours annually to support BSAR, our communities, and all of Colorado.
BSAR is currently a local issue, with sheriffs statutorily required to coordinate BSAR within their counties. The only state funding support for this important work is $350,000 in annual grants from the Department of Local Affairs Search and Rescue Fund. The majority of these funds are raised from a 25 cent surcharge on hunting and fishing licenses and motorboat, snowmobile, and OHV registrations. A small amount of additional funding is provided by the sale of Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (COSAR) cards.
To support your local and regional Backcountry Search and Rescue Teams, consider purchasing a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card, $3 for a one-year card and $12 for five-year card. More info can be found here: https://dola.colorado.gov/sar/cardPurchase.jsf
The wait is over. For those hoping to thaw out from winter’s chill, AccuWeather’s annual spring forecast is here. Though Punxsutawney Phil recently declared the end of winter, AccuWeather meteorologists largely disagree and are calling for the current season to drag on across much of the United States, possibly even beyond the official beginning of spring.
Mild air will be slow to arrive in the Northeast, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley this year, as the chance for snow lingers into mid-spring. Meanwhile, the Southeast will brace for a wet and stormy couple of months.
The season will be split in the West as some areas will experience a prolonged winter season and others may seemingly skip the season altogether and jump ahead to summer.
Take a look at the complete region-by-region breakdown below:
Northeast, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley
Spring will seemingly get off to a late start this year as winter weather stretches into late March for the Northeast, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.
“It looks to me like cold and snow combined could linger this year before we see a break by mid-spring,” AccuWeather Expert Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.
The delayed warmth will be good news for ski resorts, particularly in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where snow cover will persist the longest.
The I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston is more likely to have rain mixed with snow, similar to what the region has experienced during much of the winter.
For most of the regions, temperatures will start to climb in April. However, a few cold spells are possible in the Upper Midwest and Northeast in May, preventing a rapid change to summer.
Toward the end of spring, severe weather events will become more frequent in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Philadelphia may be in the line of fire, Pastelok said.
Meanwhile, rain may lead to planting delays in the eastern Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley and Southeast.
A wet weather pattern is in store for the Southeast this spring, with most of the rain falling in the first half of the season.
“We’ve already seen a pretty active southern jet stream with a lot of storms. I think that continues into the spring season and that’s going to lead to some flooding,” Pastelok said.
Severe storms will frequent the Gulf states and the Tennessee Valley, particularly during late March and April. Warm Gulf waters paired with an active storm track could lead to a couple of big events for the regions, including cities like Atlanta, Birmingham, Alabama, and even Jackson, Mississippi.
As May rolls around, a quieter weather pattern will replace the wet and stormy conditions.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Following the announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that it has declared the coronavirus a nationwide public health emergency, emergency physicians are taking the threat of an outbreak seriously, but stress that the risk to the broader public remains low.
“At this time, the risk in the U.S. of contracting coronavirus remains low,” said William Jaquis, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). “It is important to understand your risk factors and practice good hygiene.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges anyone that has been in the Wuhan, China region within the last two weeks and developed a fever, cough or had trouble breathing to seek medical care.
Emergency physicians train extensively to help prevent, treat, and mitigate the spread of highly contagious viruses, such as coronavirus, Ebola, and Zika. Emergency departments nationwide have protocols in place to protect the public and work alongside hospitals and health professionals to stop the spread of the virus and report relevant cases to local, state and national health departments.
“Americans are far more likely to get the flu than the coronavirus, but you protect yourself against both viruses the same way: get the flu shot, wash your hands regularly and cough or sneeze into your arm or a tissue,” said Dr. Jaquis.
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the national medical society representing emergency medicine. Through continuing education, research, public education and advocacy, ACEP advances emergency care on behalf of its 40,000 emergency physician members, and the more than 150 million Americans they treat on an annual basis. For more information, visit www.acep.org and www.emergencyphysicians.org.
ARVADA – Governor Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) released a bold roadmap to provide clarity and guidance for state-chartered financial services industries that serve or seek to serve legal cannabis-related businesses. Gov. Polis was joined by DORA’s Executive Director Patty Salazar, Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Treasurer Dave Young and Sundie Seefried, CEO of Partner Colorado Credit Union.
“As the first state to establish a legal marijuana industry and one of the first to implement an industrial hemp program, Colorado has become a national economic leader in the cannabis industry,” said Governor Jared Polis. “We are excited to release a bold, forward-thinking roadmap to provide much-needed guidance, clarity and support to state-chartered financial service providers that work with or are interested in working with the state-legal cannabis industry.”
Under the leadership of DORA’s Executive Director Patty Salazar, two DORA divisions have been the primary drivers of this initiative: the Division of Banking, which is responsible for the regulation of state-chartered commercial banks, trust companies, and state-licensed money transmitters; and the Division of Financial Services, which is responsible for the regulation of state-chartered credit unions and savings and loan institutions.
“The lack of federal clarity creates a level of uncertainty and apprehension for our Colorado state-chartered banks and credit unions to provide basic financial services to legal cannabis-related businesses,” said DORA Executive Director Patty Salazar. “This roadmap is designed to lay out a path whereby our state-chartered financial institutions can explore whether or not they are in a position to provide services to this industry.”
The roadmap’s seven primary areas of focus include providing clear regulatory guidance, encouraging new and emerging technologies in the banking and financial services space, reducing barriers while upholding consumer protection guardrails, and demonstrating state support for financial businesses wishing to explore cannabis banking.
“Unbanked cannabis businesses often operate solely in cash, creating a significant risk to public safety,” said Treasurer Dave Young. ”By providing essential banking services to cannabis businesses, Colorado can lead the way in protecting public safety and promoting financial transparency.”
The Governor was also joined by Congressman Ed Perlmutter, the lead sponsor of landmark legislation to reform federal cannabis laws and reduce the public safety risk in communities across the country. H.R. 1595, the Secure and Fair Enforcement Act of 2019 (SAFE Banking Act). The bill passed the U.S. House with overwhelming bipartisan support and currently awaits action in the U.S. Senate.
“Too many Colorado businesses, employees and communities have been targets of assault, robbery and other crimes due to the conflict between state and federal law when it comes to cannabis banking. I appreciate Governor Polis and his team working to improve access to the financial industry for Colorado cannabis and cannabis-related businesses. However, it is critical that Congress acts, including by advancing the SAFE Banking Act. Only by aligning state and federal law can we fully resolve the issues necessary to get cash off our streets and improve public safety in our communities,” said Congressman Ed Perlmutter.
The ‘Roadmap to Cannabis Banking & Financial Services’ was unveiled at Partnership Colorado Credit Union in Arvada this morning.
“As a credit union, we saw the need to help pioneer a way to offer basic banking services to the cannabis industry to safeguard communities and our monetary system. Fortunately, the state of Colorado shared these goals,” said Sundie Seefried, CEO of Partner Colorado Credit Union.
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Forest managers are working together to address continued outbreaks of insects and disease on Colorado’s forests, including spruce beetle, which remains the most damaging forest pest in the state for the eighth consecutive year, based on a 2019 aerial detection survey led by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, and Colorado State Forest Service.
Every year, the agencies aerially monitor forest health conditions on millions of forested acres across the state. Today, the agencies released the results of last year’s aerial survey and survey map.
“Healthy, resilient forests are crucial to ensure that the American public continues to have clean water and air, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities,” said Jennifer Eberlien, acting regional forester for the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. “This report is a snapshot of year-round proactive efforts to manage forests statewide, promote healthy landscapes and shared stewardship.”
Impacts from Native Bark Beetles
In 2019, spruce beetle affected 89,000 acres of high-elevation Engelmann spruce across Colorado. Although the number of acres affected by this beetle declined for the fifth year in a row, it continues to expand its footprint by spreading to previously unaffected areas. Last year, it affected 25,000 new acres of forest.
Primary areas impacted by spruce beetle include forestlands in and around Rocky Mountain National Park and portions of the San Juan Mountains, West Elk Mountains and Sawatch Range.
Since 2000, spruce beetle outbreaks caused tree mortality on roughly 1.87 million acres in Colorado, and about 41 percent of the spruce-fir forests in the state have now been affected. Blowdown events in Engelmann spruce stands, combined with long-term drought stress, warmer temperatures and extensive amounts of older, densely growing trees, contributed to this ongoing epidemic.
Roundheaded pine beetle, along with associated native bark beetles, continued to affect ponderosa pine forests in Dolores County in southwest Colorado. This insect affected 22,000 acres in 2019. While this is a slight decline from 2018, when 26,900 acres were affected, record-low precipitation levels in 2018 in this part of the state have weakened tree defenses, providing an environmental window that continues to favor an increase in beetle populations in southwest Colorado.
View of Maroon Bells Near Snowmass During Aerial Servey – Photo (c) Dan West
Aspen Fungal Leaf Spots – Photo (c) Dan West
dult Roundheaded Pine Beetles – Photo (c) Dan West
Hundreds of Acres of Spruce Beetle-Caused Tree Mortality on Rio Grande National Forest – Photo (c) Dan West
From Dry and Hot to Wet and Mild
The amount of precipitation and daily temperature patterns affect how well trees in the state’s forests can ward off pests to remain healthy and resilient. Colorado experienced near-average temperatures from October 2018 to September 2019. During that same period, precipitation levels rebounded from the prior year, which was the second driest on record since 1895, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This was good for Colorado’s trees impacted by bark beetles. Adequate precipitation in 2019 bolstered their defenses by helping trees produce enough sap to resist insects attempting to enter through the bark. However, this precipitation, coupled with mild temperatures, caused heavy snowpack to persist later than usual, delaying tree symptoms from insect attacks. This made aerial detections difficult, which may explain the decline in acres affected by spruce beetle.
Wet spring conditions in 2019 also created favorable conditions for several species of leaf fungi, which can cause early leaf drop and spotting on leaves of cottonwood, aspen and poplar trees. Defoliating insects may also cause damage. Surveyors detected disturbance on 73,600 acres of aspens in 2019, although these insects and diseases rarely cause significant tree decline unless trees are severely defoliated over multiple years.
Most Widespread Forest Defoliator
The aerial survey also revealed that western spruce budworm continues to be Colorado’s most damaging and widespread forest defoliator. The insect affected 147,000 acres of Douglas-fir and spruce trees in 2019, mostly in central and southern areas of the state. This is up from the 131,000 acres impacted by the western spruce budworm in 2018. Defoliation that occurs over several years may weaken a tree to the point where bark beetles can easily overcome the tree and kill it.
In addition, the aerial survey showed the effects on forests from other insects. Douglas-fir beetle affected numerous pockets of forestland covering 7,400 acres, down from 14,000 acres in 2018, and the mountain pine beetle affected only 720 acres statewide. While it remains at natural, endemic levels, the aerial survey found a slight uptick in mountain pine beetle activity in the Taylor River drainage in Gunnison County.
“Colorado’s forests are vital to the economic and ecological health of our state,” said Mike Lester, state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service. “Our partnership with the U.S. Forest Service on the aerial survey offers another great example of how working together, we can effectively address forest health issues that span property boundaries, like bark beetle outbreaks. With information from the survey, we better understand the health of our forests and can focus our efforts where they’ll make the biggest impact.”
The aerial survey exemplifies the agencies’ continued support for shared stewardship and the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes a framework for federal and state agencies to collaborate better, focus on accomplishing mutual goals and respond to ecological, natural resource and recreational challenges and concerns for our 24.4 million acres of forestlands in Colorado.
This past year for the aerial survey, pilots use a tailored, web-based application that allows the USDA Forest Service to share data during flights in real time with partners and the public. By capitalizing on this technology, the agency can proactively and quickly respond to outbreaks that surveyors detect on forestlands, share data more collaboratively and cover more area efficiently.
For more information on the insects and diseases of Colorado’s forests, and support for landowners seeking to achieve healthier forests, contact your local CSFS field office or visit csfs.colostate.edu.
Prayer Vigil and Ceremony on the West Steps of the Capitol
(January 31, 2020—CBI—Lakewood, CO)—Colorado’s Missing Persons Day is being honored with a series of events at the state Capitol building (200 E. Colfax Avenue) beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 4, 2020, with the Missing Person Resolution being read by Senator Jerry Sonnenberg during the Senate session on Tuesday. At the conclusion of the Senate session on Tuesday, a ceremony will take place on the west steps of the Capitol to honor more than 524 individuals currently missing for more than a year in the State of Colorado.
Order of events at the State Capitol on February 4, 2020:
· 8:00 a.m. – Family members of the missing are invited to meet in room Senate Room 352
· 9:00 a.m. – The Missing Person Resolution will be read during the Senate Session
·10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. or at the conclusion of the Senate session — A Prayer Vigil will be held on the West Steps of the Capitol building to include the reading of the names of those persons missing in Colorado and will conclude with a Bubble Release.
Colorado’s Missing Persons Day is being sponsored by the offices of Colorado State Senators Jerry Sonnenberg and Rhonda Fields.
Washington, D.C. – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet sent a letter to the Trump administration addressing its inadequate commitment to securing U.S. competiveness in artificial intelligence (AI). Bennet’s letter, addressed to U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios, is in response to the regulatory principles for AI the administration released earlier this month. In the letter, Bennet criticizes the administration’s “light touch” approach and cites its policies with respect to scientific research, education, workforce training, and immigration as damaging to U.S. leadership in AI.
“U.S. competitiveness in AI is an economic and national security imperative. The administration’s current policies, however, are insufficient to achieve it. The principles released this month reflect an approach from this administration that assumes minimal federal guidance and investment are sufficient to secure U.S. competitiveness in AI,” wrote Bennet. “The administration’s new principles for AI represent little more than gauzy generalities when America’s competitiveness and security demand a comprehensive, forward-looking, and well-resourced approach consistent with our values.”
Last year, Bennet conveneda group of Colorado leaders from a cross-section of industry, higher education, federal research laboratories, and policy to form the Colorado Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Strategy Group. The AI Strategy Group is focused on identifying opportunities for Colorado to harness AI’s potential, identify related challenges, and help shape solutions. Bennet also worked with Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to secure an amendment to the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act to better understand China’s AI capabilities and the path forward to maintain U.S. superiority in this emerging technology.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Mr. Kratsios:
Earlier this month, the administration released regulatory principles to govern the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the private sector. U.S. competitiveness in AI is an economic and national security imperative. The administration’s current policies, however, are insufficient to achieve it.
The principles released this month reflect an approach from this administration that assumes minimal federal guidance and investment are sufficient to secure U.S. competitiveness in AI. At first, the administration refused to develop a national strategy for AI, only later reversing course with the “American AI Initiative” Executive Order. Although the proliferation of AI-related efforts across the executive branch, especially in the Departments of Defense and Energy, are welcome, they still lack the long-term vision and resources needed to secure U.S. competitiveness.
The White House principles are the latest example of this insufficient approach. Although they attempt to provide a national regulatory framework to preempt a patchwork of state and local policies, they are so vaguely constructed that they could perversely increase local regulations, hurting both industry and innovation. At the same time, the principles are so vague as to justify potentially unlimited legal challenges from industry groups while giving the White House an effective veto over any proposed agency regulation. The broad principles also fail to reflect the wide range of AI technologies.
Although summary principles are necessarily reductive, certain omissions are hard to overlook. The principles make only passing reference to privacy protections. They include just a cursory discussion of Americans’ civil rights. The principles also reference no effort to coordinate AI policy with allies and partners around the world, echoing the administration’s unilateral rejection of the G7’s Global Partnership on AI in 2018. The U.S. cannot lead the world in AI if we do not engage it. Worse, our isolation risks allowing China to set AI standards and norms across the globe for a generation.
More broadly, it is hard to take seriously the administration’s commitment to U.S. competitiveness in AI when it has proposed sharp cuts to federal investment in science and research. The administration’s budget for 2020 proposed billions in funding cuts for the National Science Foundation (NSF), which would have resulted in thousands fewer grants for vital research. Although the administration has told agencies to prioritize AI research and development, it has failed to set spending targets, establish metrics, or allocate additional funding.
The administration has also failed to adequately educate our future workforce for success in integrating AI. The National Science & Technology Council released a “Strategy for STEM Education” report calling for a $4 billion investment, but the administration failed to follow-through by pushing for a commensurate budget. Positive steps, such as the 2017 presidential memorandum devoting $200 million in Department of Education funds to STEM and computer science annually, are helpful but still far short of workforce needs. Similarly, although the administration’s renewed focus on computer science education is welcome, what is required is a specific focus on developing AI skills for learners from all stages and backgrounds to ensure the opportunities from AI are broadly shared.
The administration has also not taken adequate steps to help today’s workers attain stability and mobility as technologies like AI change the nature of work. According to the Brookings Institution, 36 million workers will face high exposure to automation in the coming decades. The successful integration of AI in the workforce requires significant investment in reskilling workers, increasing access to accelerated learning and certifications, and improving alignment between traditional education and employer needs. Although the President signed an executive order in 2017 to “create apprenticeships for millions of our citizens”, not a single one has been created to date.
Similarly, the administration’s immigration policy is at war with America’s AI needs. Today, foreign nationals comprise more than half of our top AI talent. International students represent nearly four-fifths of our full-time computer science graduates, and immigrants found a quarter of our technology start-ups. Last year, a study by Deloitte projected that we will need 3.5 million STEM jobs by 2025, two million of which will go unfilled in 2025 because of a skilled labor shortage. Despite the clear need, the administration has doubled denial rates for high-skilled, H-1B visas, doubled processing delays for citizenship applications, and ramped up visas fees. The world’s top talent have received the message: the rate of international students enrolling in our colleges and universities has fallen more than 10 percent in recent years. The desire of immigrants to live and work in America is one of our greatest assets in our pursuit of AI leadership, and this administration has taken every opportunity to squander it.
In this light, the administration’s new principles for AI represent little more than gauzy generalities when America’s competitiveness and security demand a comprehensive, forward-looking, and well-resourced approach consistent with our values.
I would like the administration to share its specific plans to develop and implement such an approach and to address the other concerns raised here. I appreciate your attention to this matter.
