Proposed NOAA Lab Closures Raise Critical Questions about Research Facilities
The Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) includes deep funding cuts and the closure of more than a dozen physical research laboratories. If enacted, the plan would eliminate over 12,000 positions and reduce NOAA’s budget by $2 billion, significantly impacting the agency’s ability to maintain and modernize its national network of scientific facilities.
Among the facilities slated for closure are:
Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, FL
Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) in College Park, MD, Idaho Falls, ID, and Oak Ridge, TN, as well as a nationwide network of soil moisture sensors
Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL) in Boulder, CO
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) in Princeton, NJ
Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) in Boulder, CO, Utqiaġvik, AK, Mauna Loa, HI, Hilo, HI, Big Island, HI, American Samoa, and the South Pole
Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) in Ann Arbor, MI, and Muskegon, MI
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Seattle, WA
Physical Sciences Laboratory (PSL) in Boulder, CO
The proposed shutdowns would affect long-established programs focused on storm forecasting, air quality, ocean monitoring, and atmospheric science.
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These closures raise substantial concerns about NOAA’s future capacity to support infrastructure improvements and modernize scientific operations. Ongoing and planned capital improvement projects at several of these laboratories—including radar upgrades, data systems modernization, and facility renovations—could be halted or canceled altogether. The loss of physical lab space may also limit NOAA’s ability to retain specialized equipment and technical personnel, affecting the continuity of mission-critical research and development efforts.
It is currently unclear whether NOAA has developed contingency strategies to preserve essential operations in the event of lab closures. Options such as relocating programs to other government-owned facilities, co-locating with academic or nonprofit research institutions, or securing emergency funding to maintain lab infrastructure have not been formally detailed. The absence of a clearly communicated transition plan leaves many stakeholders uncertain about how NOAA intends to safeguard high-impact scientific work during a period of significant restructuring.
Another key issue is the fate of the physical buildings and research infrastructure. Many of the affected laboratories house specialized assets, including climate-controlled data centers, custom-built instrumentation, and experimental testbeds. The administration has not specified whether these facilities would be repurposed, transferred to other federal agencies, mothballed, or decommissioned entirely. Without clear guidance, there are growing questions about the long-term stewardship of these assets and whether they can be reactivated or replaced in the future if national priorities shift.
The closures would also impact cooperative institutes, such as those in Norman, OK (which provided consultants for the 1996 movie Twister and its 2024 sequel) and Boulder, CO, where NOAA partners with universities on large-scale research programs. Terminating support for these institutes would affect not only the scientific mission but also regional economies and ongoing collaborations with academic researchers.
Ultimately, the proposed budget reflects a shift in focus for NOAA’s operations, with a stated emphasis on streamlining and consolidating efforts within the National Weather Service. However, without detailed plans for transition or reinvestment, the long-term consequences for US weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, and climate science remain uncertain. Congress will decide the final budget in the coming months, and the outcome will shape the future of NOAA’s physical research infrastructure and its ability to serve public safety, environmental monitoring, and scientific advancement.
NOAA declined to comment to Lab Design News about these developments. As of press time, the White House has not responded to a request for comment.
