NCAR sues itself to block Trump administration's 'arbitrary and capricious' selloff of Boulder lab

Scientific consortium that runs the Boulder federal lab says retribution is only reason for dismantling the climate, weather research agency

Mar. 16, 2026 at 11:42pm

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The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, the group of 129 universities and colleges that contracts to run the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, has filed a lawsuit against the National Science Foundation and the Trump administration to block what they say is political retribution against Colorado in the form of dismantling the storied lab.

Why it matters

The lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of targeting NCAR and other federal institutions in Colorado as political retribution for the state's refusal to comply with the administration's demands, such as giving up mail-in voting and pardoning a former county clerk convicted of election interference. The dismantling of NCAR could undermine the country's leadership in weather forecasting and climate research.

The details

The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration has taken several actions to dismantle NCAR, including divesting UCAR of running the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, terminating a multimillion-dollar cooperative agreement to fund climate adaptation and mitigation research, and soliciting interest in the ownership of NCAR's landmark Mesa Laboratory building in Boulder. The lawsuit says the agencies' 'ultimate goal is to destroy NCAR entirely'.

  • The lawsuit was filed on Monday, March 16, 2026.

The players

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR)

A consortium of 129 universities and colleges that contracts to run the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The federal agency that oversees NCAR and is named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

U.S. Commerce Department

Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit for its role in the alleged actions against NCAR.

Phil Weiser

The Colorado Attorney General who is involved in dozens of lawsuits making similar accusations against the Trump administration.

Joe Neguse

The Democratic U.S. Representative from Colorado who has passed on whistleblower allegations about the potential sale of NCAR and demanded an independent investigation.

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What’s next

The federal court will decide whether to stop the dismantling of NCAR, restore all contracts, lift the gag on consortium officials, and end onerous reporting requirements.

The takeaway

This lawsuit highlights the growing political tensions between the Trump administration and the state of Colorado, with the administration allegedly using federal institutions like NCAR as political leverage against the state. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the future of climate and weather research in the United States.