Overview
- The administration labeled the Boulder-based center a source of “climate alarmism,” saying nonessential programs will be cut and “vital functions” such as weather modeling and supercomputing moved elsewhere.
- UCAR confirmed receipt of an NSF letter requesting options to divest, transfer, or restructure NCAR components, explicitly naming the research aircraft fleet and the Cheyenne, Wyoming, supercomputing facility.
- NCAR and leading scientists warned that dismantling the center would harm forecasting, disaster preparedness, and core atmospheric and climate research relied on in the U.S. and abroad.
- Colorado officials, including Gov. Jared Polis and Rep. Joe Neguse, said they were not formally briefed and pledged legal and political resistance, noting that Congress controls much of the funding.
- NCAR operates under a 2023 NSF–UCAR agreement worth about $938 million over five years and runs the Mesa Laboratory, research aircraft, and key modeling tools, while the move fits into broader administration efforts to cut federal climate research programs.