NCAR Sues Federal Government Over Boulder Research Center Dispute

The federal government’s war on Colorado has reached a new front in Boulder, where the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) finds itself under siege. As reported by the Colorado Sun, the National Science Foundation (NSF), which created NCAR in 1960, is now entangled in a dispute that threatens the stability of one of the world’s top ten climate research institutions.

To hear them tell it, the situation is less about scientific merit and more about political retribution. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), which manages NCAR, filed a lawsuit arguing that the center “has remained in full compliance with the terms and conditions” required for its federal funding. Despite this, the administration has moved to strip UCAR of control over the Wyoming Supercomputing Center, a facility the corporation has operated for 14 years.

The question is whether the bureaucratic hurdles are merely administrative or if they are designed to break the institution. According to the lawsuit, the government is imposing “elaborate and pointless reporting requirements” and attempting to impose a gag order on NCAR officials. This would prevent researchers from communicating with the public or even their own employees. The goal, the suit argues, is to cripple UCAR and dismantle NCAR through a “coordinated effort” that lacks any reasoned explanation.

This attack on Boulder is part of a broader pattern of pressure on the state. When Colorado refused to cede its constitutional authority over elections or pardon convicted felon Tina Peters, the campaign of extort submission began. Emergency declarations for wildfire and flood victims were denied. Over $100 million in federal transportation funds was canceled. SNAP benefits were slashed, and the U.S. Space Command was moved to Alabama. Even the National Renewable Energy Lab’s budget was savaged.

In Craig, the operators of a power generation complex were ordered to reopen a coal-fired plant. This was despite the fact that power was being generated at a lower cost through solar and wind facilities nearby. The governor was publicly ridiculed as “weak and pathetic,” a message hammered home by a White House spokesperson who suggested that Colorado needed a different kind of leadership.

The evidence presented in the lawsuit suggests that the federal government’s actions are a form of punishment and coercion. It is a campaign to force the state to submit to federal will. For the scientists in Boulder, the stakes are high. They are fighting to keep their labs open and their data flowing, but they are up against a government that seems determined to win the war on Colorado. The math holds up for the administration, but for the researchers, the cost of staying independent is rising fast. That depends on who you ask, but for the people living in the valley, the impact is already felt in their property taxes and their daily commutes.