The Trump administration is moving to dismantle Colorado’s National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), a decision that has drawn sharp criticism from scientists, state officials and lawmakers.
White House Actions
White House budget director Russ Vought posted on social media that a comprehensive review of the lab is underway and that “Vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.” A top White House official described the lab as “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”
About NCAR
NCAR, the largest federal research program on climate change, is managed by a nonprofit consortium of more than 130 colleges and universities on behalf of the National Science Foundation. It supports research to predict, prepare for and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters, and it hosts the world’s largest community climate model.
Reactions
Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University, said “NCAR supports the scientists who fly into hurricanes, the meteorologists who develop new radar technology, the physicists who envision and code new weather models, and yes – the largest community climate model in the world. That too,” and added that “Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.”
Colorado Governor Jared Polis called NCAR a global leader in earth systems science, noting that “Climate change is real, but the work of NCAR goes far beyond climate science.” He warned that the cuts would “lose our competitive advantage against foreign powers and adversaries in the pursuit of scientific discovery.”
Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, along with Representative Joe Neguse, said the center’s work has produced early warnings for natural disasters and deepened understanding of the Earth’s systems. They stated that “Efforts to dismantle this institution and its essential programs are deeply dangerous and blatantly retaliatory.”
Antonio Busalacchi, president of the nonprofit consortium, warned that dismantling the lab would “set back our nation’s ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters.”
The White House claims President Donald Trump is restoring the lab to its original purpose, but it is unclear how many of the lab’s 830 employees and associated university programs could be affected.
Related Energy Lab Changes
The administration recently renamed the former National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado to the National Laboratory of the Rockies, and Assistant Energy Secretary Audrey Robertson said the agency is “no longer picking and choosing energy sources.”
Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration plans to dissolve NCAR, citing climate alarmism.
- Scientists and lawmakers warn that the move would cripple severe weather research and prediction.
- Colorado officials fear loss of competitive advantage and increased vulnerability to natural disasters.
The decision to dismantle NCAR represents a significant shift in federal support for climate science and severe weather research, with potential wide-ranging impacts on national preparedness and scientific leadership.
