After Wind Outages and Rally, Rep Junie Joseph Calls to Defend NCAR’s Life-Saving Research

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 12, 2025

Boulder, CO — I am releasing this statement following a community rally in Boulder on Saturday, December 20th, standing shoulder to shoulder with neighbors, scientists, families, and workers who are deeply concerned about the future of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

I represent House District 10, which includes most of the City of Boulder, and before serving in the legislature, I had the honor of representing this community on Boulder City Council. Boulder is not abstract to me. It is home, and I know how deeply institutions like NCAR are woven into the life of this city. That is why I am committed to ensuring NCAR remains open and respected, and why I will continue to advocate for the people and science that make our community safer.

Over the past several days, I have heard directly from residents who endured prolonged power outages during extreme wind events and worried about heat, medical devices, communications, and safety. These disruptions were not theoretical. They were real, frightening, and exhausting for many families. And that is exactly why NCAR matters.

NCAR has called South Boulder home for more than sixty years. Its scientists help us understand and prepare for the extreme weather events we are now experiencing, including high winds, wildfires, floods, droughts, and increasingly unpredictable conditions. The research conducted at NCAR saves lives. It informs emergency planning, strengthens weather forecasting, supports firefighters and first responders, and helps communities anticipate and reduce risk before disaster strikes.

At a moment when Coloradans are facing more frequent and more dangerous weather, the Trump administration’s reckless and politically motivated efforts to dismantle or discredit NCAR are deeply alarming. Labeling life-saving climate and weather research as “climate alarmism” is not only wrong, it puts public safety at risk.

Nearly 1,000 people in our region work directly at NCAR, and thousands more benefit from its partnerships, innovation, and economic contributions. Beyond the numbers, NCAR represents something essential: a commitment to truth, to science, and to protecting people. Weakening NCAR threatens good jobs, undermines Boulder’s role as a global leader in research, and leaves communities across Colorado and the nation less prepared for emergencies.

Over the last three days, as high winds knocked out power to tens of thousands of households, we saw how vulnerable our systems can be. This is not the time to turn our backs on the very institutions that help us understand risk, plan ahead, and protect lives. It is the time to invest more, not less, in science and preparedness.

I stand firmly with NCAR’s scientists, staff, and their families. I stand with the Boulder community that values evidence, integrity, and foresight. I will continue working with my colleagues at the state and federal level to push back against these actions and defend institutions that serve the public good.

Science should never be a political target. Boulder knows what is at stake, and we will not be silent.