The Trump administration is in the process of closing at least two federal buildings used to monitor volcanoes in Alaska and Hawaii. The scientists and equipment in these offices provide critical information about possible eruptions, as well as the release of ash that could interrupt aviation.
The government currently monitors dozens of active volcanoes near population centers, including Mount Spurr near Anchorage, Alaska, and the most active volcano in the world, Kilauea, on the island of Hawaii. Hundreds of thousands of people live near these two volcanoes alone. Without the observatories in place, scientists would be unable to do the work that leads to early warnings for evacuations or for changes to air travel.
NOTUS confirmed that the General Services Administration sent notice of its plans to terminate the lease for the building that houses much of the Alaska observatory’s equipment and staff in Anchorage, and for a building in Hilo, Hawaii, that houses at least some staff and equipment. Both the Hawaii and Alaska observatories are run by the United States Geological Survey.
Agencies are also planning to fire the government experts who could help relocate some of these observatories or preserve the leases for the buildings.
The upcoming reduction-in-force at the GSA includes all of the people who directly manage leases and buildings contracts for Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, according to internal government communications reviewed by NOTUS. Those jobs are scheduled to be cut as of March 13.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski acknowledged that notices have been issued regarding possible lease terminations, but said she was under the impression that those leases remained under “review.”
“We’re touching base,” Murkowski told NOTUS. “This is exactly what we’re doing right now, is finding out what is actually happening.”
The Alaska building, one of several used by USGS on the Alaska Pacific University campus, has a lease termination set for August, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The lease on the Hilo Iron Works building has already been paid for through May 2027, according to a letter reviewed by NOTUS from Hawaii Rep. Jill Tokuda to Doug Burgum, the secretary of the Department of the Interior. It’s unclear when staff and equipment would need to relocate or what money would be saved by terminating that lease.
“Without this facility, HVO may no longer be able to maintain a continuous presence on Hawaii Island to monitor ongoing volcanic activity, endangering the crucial scientific and technical expertise offered by HVO staff, who may be forced to relocate or quit,” Tokuda wrote in the letter.
In a statement to NOTUS, a spokesperson for GSA said Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian’s vision for the agency was to reduce “deferred maintenance liabilities,” facilitate a return to office and take advantage of a “stronger private/government partnership in managing the workforce of the future.”
“GSA is reviewing all options to optimize our footprint and building utilization. A component of our space consolidation plan will be the termination of many soft term leases,” the spokesperson said.
In early February, the Alaska observatory predicted a 50% percent chance of an eruption coming soon near Anchorage, a city with nearly 300,000 people. The Hawaii observatory, which is now located in Hilo, was itself damaged in 2018 when a volcanic eruption — one tracked by that observatory — destroyed 700 homes over three months.
Relocating the equipment in the Alaska volcano observatory building could cost more than $1 million and would be so technically challenging it would risk damaging sensitive devices and computers, multiple sources familiar with the situation told NOTUS.
“Unfortunately, there are currently no transition plans or alternate points of contact I can provide,” one of the fired General Services Administration officials wrote in an email. “Contacting your Senator, Congressperson, Governor, or other elected officials may be required to escalate.”
A source inside the federal government told NOTUS that contacting any of these officials in writing could pose great professional risk for any government workers who do so.
Together, the lease terminations and firings could increase risks to public safety and cost the federal government far more money than would be saved, sources inside the government said to NOTUS.
“USGS remains committed to its congressional mandate as the science arm of the Department of the Interior. We are working with GSA to ensure facilities or alternative options will be available for the continued delivery of USGS services as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management,” an interior department spokesperson said in an email to NOTUS.
These cuts are part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s espoused plan to save money by reducing the size of government. The lease terminations are two of hundreds planned to drastically cut the federal real estate footprint. Those terminations have impacted offices for Social Security, the Internal Revenue Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many other parts of the federal government across the country.
The staffing cuts at GSA are part of the broader “reduction-in-force” directive from the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget to shrink the federal workforce.
The spokesperson for GSA said the RIFs are being executed in accordance with Trump’s executive orders, and OPM guidelines. GSA “is in contact with customer tenant agencies that may be impacted by this action and will continue to support their critical work for the American taxpayer while we execute a plan to increase space utilization and occupancy,” they said.
Possible public safety risks from cutting leases extend far beyond the Department of the Interior. GSA had planned to cancel the lease for the office that oversees one of the U.S.’s most important nuclear waste sites in Carlsbad, New Mexico, but reversed course on March 5, NOTUS reported.
“DOGE is like a bull in a china shop, and the havoc they’re creating by tearing down essential government functions is going to have severe public safety impacts,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.
Huffman’s office has compiled a list of details about the 164 offices in the Department of Interior on the DOGE website listed for cuts.
“GSA, at the direction of Elon Musk, has proposed ending the lease of several volcano observatories, offices with specialized services that help communities from imminent danger. Their ignorance and thoughtlessness are on full display here and the consequences could be deadly,” Huffman said.
—
Anna Kramer is a reporter at NOTUS. Have tips? You can reach Anna on Signal at: annakramer.54
Ben T.N. Mause, a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow, and Riley Rogerson, a reporter at NOTUS,
contributed to this report.