The Trump administration has renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, now called the National Laboratory of the Rockies, marking an identity shift for the Colorado institution that has been a global leader in wind, solar and other renewable energy research.
“The new name reflects the Trump Administration’s broad vision for the Lab’s applied energy research, which has historically emphasized alternative and renewable sources of generation, and respects the natural splendor of the Lab’s surroundings in Golden, Colorado,” Lab Director Jud Virden said in a statement.
He did not say what this “comprehensive approach” would mean for the lab’s programs or its approximately 4,000 employees.
The renaming is the latest in a series of Trump administration actions to defund or cut parts of the federal government that support renewable energy, while also expanding federal support for fossil fuels.
Asked for details, the Energy Department said in an email that the name change “reflects the Department’s renewed focus on ‘energy growth’ rather than prioritizing specific energy resources.”
A lab spokesperson had no additional information about whether there would be changes to programs or staffing at the lab.
Bill Ritter, a Democrat who was Colorado’s governor from 2007 to 2011, said it is reasonable to assume that the name change signals that the federal government is abandoning the laboratory’s position as a world leader in energy research.
“This is a prestigious research facility,” he said.
Underlining this, he recalled his visit to Israel during his tenure as Governor.
“The head of their renewable energy laboratory said, ‘I have nothing to tell you because you come from a place that has the best renewable energy laboratory in the world,'” Ritter said.
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