On Tuesday afternoon, the risk of wildfire in northeastern Colorado had risen high enough that Xcel Energy, the state's largest utility company, announced that it would shut down power in much of the area the following day. Expected high winds, combined with the current dry conditions, meant that a downed electrical line could spark a catastrophe. Local institutions responded by announcing closures yesterday, among them the Boulder, Colorado'based National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR. Shortly after the Xcel announcement, USA Today broke the news that the Trump administration planned to 'dismantle' the center. Climate scientists know NCAR as one of the largest weather-and-climate-research institutions in the world; Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, described it as 'one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.' NCAR had already reduced its staff in anticipation of drastic budget cuts at the National Science Foundation,...
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