The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Climate Research Laboratory in Colorado

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, moving to disband a research laboratory that a senior White House official described as “one of the nation’s largest sources of climate distress.”

White House Budget Director Ross Vought criticized the lab in a social media post Tuesday night and said a comprehensive review of the lab was underway. “Critical activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location,” Foote said.

The research laboratory, which houses the largest federal research program on climate change, supports research to predict, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather and other natural disasters. The research laboratory is managed by a nonprofit consortium of more than 130 colleges and universities on behalf of the National Science Foundation.

A senior White House official cited two instances of the lab’s “woke trend” wasting taxpayer money on what the official described as frivolous endeavors and ideologies. One of these experiments funded an Indigenous and Earth Sciences Center that aimed to “make science more welcoming, inclusive, and justice-focused,” while another tracked air pollution to “demonize automobiles and oil and gas operations.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to speak frankly about the administration’s actions.

He watches: While the United States is absent from the climate summit, John Kerry says the absence undermines global cooperation

For climate scientists, the lab “is literally our global mothership,” said Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist and distinguished professor at Texas Tech University.

“NCAR supports the scientists who fly into hurricanes, the meteorologists who develop new radar technology, the physicists who visualize and code new weather models, and yes — the world’s largest community climate model. And that, too,” Hayhoe said in a social media post.

“Dismantling NCAR is like using a sledgehammer to the cornerstone that holds back our scientific understanding of planet Earth,” she said.

After World War II, interest in meteorology, solar monitoring, and atmospheric sciences increased, stimulating the establishment of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The focus was initially on atmospheric chemistry and physical meteorology.

The National Center for Climate Change Research’s budget more than doubled from the 1980s to the 1990s, driven by increased federal focus on climate change research.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis described the laboratory as a world leader in scientific research of Earth systems.

“Climate change is real, but NCAR’s work goes far beyond climate science,” the two-term Democrat said. “NCAR provides data on extreme weather events like fires and floods that help our country save lives and property and prevent devastation for families. If these reductions go forward, we will lose our competitive advantage against foreign powers and adversaries in the pursuit of scientific discoveries.”

The White House said President Donald Trump is returning the lab to its original purpose. It is unclear how many of the research lab’s 830 employees and associated programs at partner universities could be affected.

The change comes after the administration recently targeted another Colorado lab, the former National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to remove its focus on wind and solar energy. The Department of Energy’s website was renamed “Rocky Mountain National Laboratory” earlier this month.

Assistant Energy Secretary Audrey Robertson said the Trump administration “is no longer picking and choosing energy sources.”

Colorado’s Democratic senators – John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet – along with Democratic Representative Joe Neguse argued in a statement that the center’s work has led to earlier warnings about natural disasters and a deeper understanding of Earth’s systems. They called the administration’s move reckless, saying it would have devastating consequences for families in Colorado and communities across the country.

“Efforts to dismantle this institution and its core programs are extremely dangerous and blatantly retaliatory,” they said.

Dismantling the research lab “would hamper our country’s ability to predict, prepare for, and respond to severe weather and other natural disasters,” said Antonio Busalacci, president of the nonprofit consortium.

Brian Montoya reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico.