A consortium of universities filed a federal lawsuit Monday, alleging the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research is unlawful retaliation against Colorado.

The group also argued that the move violates federal law.

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, which manages the federally funded Boulder laboratory on behalf of more than 100 member universities, asked a judge to halt the breakup and restore contracts and funding.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, claims the actions are “arbitrary and capricious,” calling it a part of a broader campaign to punish the state for exercising its constitutional powers.

“Federal agencies and officials therein are waging a campaign of retaliation against the State of Colorado and institutions within it,” the complaint said. “Because Colorado refuses to relinquish to the federal government powers reserved to it by the Constitution, the Agencies have undertaken a series of retributive actions designed to coerce and punish Colorado.”

Back in December, Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced plans to break up NCAR, calling it a hub for “climate alarmism.”

“The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country,” Vought said. “A comprehensive review is underway and any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.”

One of the first executive orders issued by President Donald Trump had described “climate change” policies as anathema to his goal of “unleashing American energy.”

In that order, the president said several states are pursuing “burdensome and ideologically motivated ‘climate change’ or energy policies that threaten American energy dominance and our economic and national security.”

A National Science Foundation “Dear Colleague Letter” in January 2026 invited proposals for restructuring the center’s observational platforms, computing capabilities and training programs, and sought expressions of interest in ownership of the Mesa Laboratory for public or private use.

The lawsuit said NCAR, whose Mesa Laboratory is based in Boulder, serves as one of the world’s leading centers for studying weather, climate and the Earth’s atmosphere. Operated by UCAR for the National Science Foundation since 1960, it provides scientists nationwide — especially at smaller colleges that lack their own expensive labs — with tools to predict storms, understand climate patterns and improve daily forecasts that affect everything from airline safety to farmers’ planting decisions, according to the complaint.

At the heart of that work is supercomputing power.

NCAR’s Wyoming Supercomputing Center in Cheyenne runs massive simulations that model hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and long-term climate trends in fine detail. The computers support roughly 1,500 researchers from more than 500 universities and supply critical data used by the Defense Department, FAA, NASA and other agencies. The center itself employs nearly 1,400 people and pumps hundreds of millions of dollars into Colorado’s economy each year, according to the lawsuit.

UCAR’s lawsuit named as defendants the National Science Foundation, NOAA, the Department of Commerce and OMB, along with their leaders in official capacities. It alleged that termination of cooperative agreements, transfer of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, imposition of gag orders and other steps taken by the Trump administration lack legitimate scientific justification and were timed to coincide with disputes between the administration and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.