Universities sue Trump administration to block dismantling of top climate research center

2026-03-17 - 10:32

Universities overseeing the largest federally funded climate research center in the US filed a lawsuit Monday to block the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the lab. The lawsuit against plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) alleges the Trump administration is carrying out a coordinated campaign targeting Colorado amid tensions between President Donald Trump and Governor Jared Polis. Lawsuit details The lawsuit was filed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a nonprofit consortium of universities that operates the center in Boulder, Colorado. The center is widely regarded as the country's leading institute for weather modeling and climate science, which the Trump administration said in December it plans to dismantle. "UCAR and NCAR are collateral damage," the lawsuit said. Allegations of retaliation The lawsuit, filed in a US district court in Colorado, alleged that multiple federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Commerce Department, and the Office of Management and Budget, targeted NCAR as part of a broader campaign of retaliation. Three of the federal agencies named in the UCAR lawsuit did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the National Science Foundation said it does not comment on the ongoing litigation, NBC News reported. Political context The complaint said Trump's disputes with Polis stem from concerns over Colorado's mail-in voting system and the prosecution of a county clerk convicted of election equipment tampering in the 2020 vote. It added that Trump urged Polis to release the clerk and ban mail-in voting. The lawsuit portrays the planned dismantling of NCAR as politically motivated rather than based on scientific or budgetary considerations. Scientific implications NCAR is a critical institution for US climate research and weather modeling, and its dismantling would have significant implications for climate science capabilities. The lawsuit seeks to prevent what plaintiffs describe as an unlawful attack on scientific infrastructure driven by political disputes.