Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is appealing President Donald Trump’s recent denials of two requests for disaster aid, adding to the growing list of disaster decisions being challenged.
Polis, a Democrat, asked Trump to reconsider his simultaneous denials in late December of disaster aid for rural parts of the state that were damaged by wildfires in August or storms and flooding in October.
In the two letters addressed to Trump, Polis says the cost of damage from the disasters “clearly exceeded” cost thresholds set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to qualify for aid with debris cleanup and infrastructure repairs. FEMA makes recommendations about a disaster request to the president, who has exclusive authority to approve or deny.
FEMA had determined that wildfires in northwestern Colorado caused $27.4 million in damage, and flooding in southwestern Colorado caused $13.8 million in damage. Both figures exceed the FEMA population-based threshold for Colorado of about $11 million.
