Oppose Dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research

I urge you to oppose the Trump administration's plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. This decision threatens public safety, scientific leadership, and hundreds of jobs while eliminating research that saves lives and protects property. NCAR is not simply a climate research facility. Since its establishment in 1960, the center has pioneered critical advances in weather prediction and severe weather warnings. GPS dropsondes, the expendable tools dropped from aircraft into hurricane eyes to gather data that revolutionized tropical cyclone forecasting, were developed at NCAR. These innovations have directly improved hurricane forecasts and reduced harm through earlier warnings. James Franklin, retired chief of the branch of hurricane specialists at NOAA's National Hurricane Center, confirmed these tools transformed our understanding of tropical cyclone structure. The center employs approximately 830 people through the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of more than 130 colleges and universities. The National Science Foundation provided $123 million to NCAR in fiscal year 2025, accounting for about half the center's budget. Dismantling NCAR puts these jobs at risk and threatens the research infrastructure that gives the United States its competitive advantage in atmospheric sciences. Colorado Governor Jared Polis warned that if this plan proceeds, public safety is at risk. NCAR's work on severe weather events like fires and floods helps save lives and property. Even Roger Pielke Jr., a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who has expressed concerns about climate alarmism, called NCAR "a crown jewel of the U.S. scientific enterprise" that "deserves to be improved, not shuttered." He stated that the U.S. cannot afford to make petty and vindictive decisions based on the hot politics of climate change if it wants to remain a global leader in atmospheric sciences. I ask you to publicly oppose this dismantling and work to preserve NCAR's vital research and workforce.