Lawsuit alleges breakup of federal climate lab was tied to Trump’s feud with Colorado

A new lawsuit opposing the breakup of a federal climate and weather lab alleges that the move is part of a Trump administration retribution effort against the state of Colorado.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a nonprofit consortium of 129 schools that manages the lab, sued the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

UCAR alleged that the breakup of the Boulder-based National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) was part of an effort to punish Colorado for refusing to give up its authority over elections as well as over its legal actions against former county clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted of election interference.

Peters is serving a nine year sentence and has been a major part of President Trump feud’s with Colorado. Prosecutors accused her of stealing a county employee’s security badge to help a man connected with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell gain access to the county’s voter systems.

“When Colorado refused to accede to attempts to infringe upon its sovereignty, the Agencies launched a widespread and coordinated campaign of punishment and coercion,” the lawsuit stated. “UCAR and NCAR are collateral damage.”

According to the suit, the Trump administration has taken actions including the transfer of a supercomputer built by UCAR and termination of an agreement with NOAA to fund climate adaptation research. It also accused the NSF of saddling UCAR and NCAR with “disparate and undue reporting requirements” that create “pointless bureaucratic burdens” and imposing “gag orders that unconstitutionally restrain the speech of UCAR and NCAR officials.”

“The Agencies’ ultimate apparent goal is to destroy NCAR entirely,” alleged the suit, which asked the court to stop the Trump administration’s actions. 

In December, OMB Director Russell Vought announced that the science foundation “will be breaking up” NCAR, which predicts severe weather, models flooding, forecasts air quality and conducts climate research. 

Vought called it “one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”

An NSF spokesperson declined to comment, saying the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation. The Hill has reached out to the other agencies named in the suit for comment.

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