UCAR Sues Federal Agencies

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Research & Developments is a blog for brief updates that provide context for the flurry of news regarding law and policy changes that impact science and scientists today.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) filed a lawsuit today against the National Science Foundation (NSF), NOAA, the Department of Commerce (DOC), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and those agencies’ directors.

In December, the Trump administration announced plans to dismantle NSF’s National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which UCAR manages. NCAR, one of the world’s leading climate and Earth science research laboratories, is headquartered in Boulder, Colo.

• UCAR Statement on the Lawsuit
• Read the Lawsuit
• What Americans Lose If Their National Center for Atmospheric Research Is Dismantled

The lawsuit alleges that the federal agencies are “waging a campaign of retaliation” against Colorado and its institutions because the state has not bowed to federal authorities. Namely, the state of Colorado prosecuted and convicted Tina Peters, the former County Clerk of Mesa County, for her efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and Gov. Jared Polis refused President Trump’s order to grant Peters clemency. (The governor has since indicated he may reconsider.) The state has also not ended mail-in voting, a practice frequently criticized by the president.

“The Agencies have not identified any performance deficiency warranting adverse action, UCAR has remained in full compliance with the terms and conditions of its receipt of federal funding, and no agency has articulated a reasoned explanation for the coordinated effort to cripple UCAR and dismantle NCAR,” the lawsuit alleges. “That is because no such explanation exists.”

—Emily Gardner (@emfurd.bsky.social), Associate Editor