Press Release: Leading Data and Science Organizations Urge Congress to Protect the National Center for Atmospheric Research
Threatened Cuts to NCAR Would Undermine Public Safety, Scientific Leadership, and U.S. Competitiveness
Washington, D.C. — A coalition of leading data organizations today sent a letter to Members of Congress urging action to protect the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), warning that the administration’s proposal to “break up” the research center would endanger public safety, weaken American scientific leadership, and cost taxpayers millions. The letter was signed by The Impact Project, Public Environmental Data Partners, Open Environmental Data Project, Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, Data Rescue Project, Center for Open Data Enterprise, Radiant Earth, Branch4, Tropical Weather Analytics, Inc., National Public Health Coalition (NPHC), The Climate Museum, AirVitalize, GrantWitness, Center for Open Science, and the Association of Public Data Users, in addition to dozens of individuals.
NCAR is “a nerve center of global atmospheric and climate research, not to mention a crown jewel of US science,” the organizations wrote.
Established by the National Science Foundation in 1960, NCAR is a cornerstone of U.S. and global atmospheric and climate research. The nonpartisan institution conducts foundational science that drives advances in weather forecasting, climate resilience, aviation safety, agriculture, disaster preparedness, and emerging technologies relied on by communities and industries nationwide.
NCAR scientists have played a critical role in improving severe weather prediction and aviation safety. Today, NCAR’s advanced computing models and artificial intelligence tools help mitigate winter storm disruptions and improve forecasting accuracy across the country. Beyond weather, NCAR research informs wildfire smoke modeling, fisheries management, public health forecasting, such as flu spread, and air pollution analysis. The center also maintains critical partnerships with industry that help keep the United States competitive at the forefront of technological innovation.
In their open letter, the organizations emphasized that dismantling NCAR would not save money. Instead, they warned that dispersing its integrated capabilities across multiple agencies or institutions would increase costs, create inefficiencies, and weaken national security and innovation.
“Dismantling NCAR would not only be bad for science, it would be bad for the budget. NCAR is a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts; any attempt to distribute the capacities of NCAR across agencies or research institutions will end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars and make our country less secure and less innovative,” the organizations wrote. “Research conducted at NCAR supports Americans’ safety and security in a rapidly changing world.”
