This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
The nonprofit overseeing the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) sued the Trump administration on Monday, alleging the federally funded science hub could become “collateral damage” in a sustained attempt to punish Colorado.
The lawsuit was filed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a consortium of colleges and universities headquartered at the University of Colorado Boulder that oversees NCAR. It asks a federal district court to stop key federal agencies — such as the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Commerce — from continuing their efforts to dismantle the 66-year-old research center focused on studying the Earth’s atmosphere.
The complaint further alleges that breaking up NCAR is part of a broader “campaign of retribution” against Colorado.
In particular, it accuses the Trump administration of targeting NCAR because it is headquartered in the same state currently imprisoning Tina Peters, a former Mesa County Clerk serving a nine-year sentence for tampering with election equipment.
By allegedly seeking revenge on Peters’ behalf, the lawsuit warns that the federal government could permanently harm critical research and innovation. In an online statement released along with the lawsuit, UCAR claimed recent attempts to dismantle the research hub violate federal law and pose a direct threat to “national security, public safety, and economic prosperity.”
David Hosansky, a UCAR spokesperson, declined to provide any additional comment beyond the statement and lawsuit itself.
The White House did not cite Peters when it announced plans to dismantle the center last December. In a post on X, Russell Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the Trump administration would break up NCAR because it had become a hotbed of “climate alarmism.”
The lawsuit notes that the post came a day after President Trump attacked Gov. Jared Polis as a “weak and pathetic man” for refusing to release Peters. It also cites a White House response to CNN explaining why the administration was targeting NCAR. A spokesperson told the news agency that “maybe if Colorado had a governor who actually wanted to work with President Trump, his constituents would be better served.”
It appears the White House hasn’t hesitated to follow through with its threats. The National Science Foundation recently finished gathering proposals to shift NCAR’s core functions to different institutions. In addition, it collected concepts for the “private use” of the Mesa Lab, an iconic brutalist headquarters perched below the Boulder Flat Irons.
Gov. Polis and Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Boulder, called on residents and organizations to speak up in defense of NCAR before the public comment period closed. Many leading scientists and science advocacy groups also submitted detailed letters arguing against any attempt to reorganize the research hub.
The lawsuit, however, suggests that work might already be well underway. It claims the Trump administration has already saddled NCAR scientists with “gag orders” and “pointless bureaucratic procedures.” The University of Wyoming is also already negotiating to take over management of an NCAR supercomputer located in Cheyenne, Wyo., according to a recent report in The New York Times.
