National Laboratory of the Rockies, based in Golden, axes another 134 positions

The National Laboratory of the Rockies let go 134 employees on Monday, the second time in less than a year that the facility formerly known as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL, has terminated staff. David Glickson, a spokesman for the National Laboratory of the Rockies, told The Denver Post late Monday afternoon that the eliminated positions were in both research and operations. The lab operates under the U.S. Department of Energy and its main location is the 327-acre campus in Golden. The lab also runs the National Wind Technology Center along Colorado 128 in Boulder County, where workers provide technical support needed to develop new wind turbine designs. “These actions were taken to adjust to existing and projected funding levels and alignment with DOE priorities,” Glickson said. “We recognize the meaningful contributions of those impacted and the role they have played in advancing the laboratory’s work.” An exact breakdown of where the cuts were made across the organization were not yet available, Glickson said, but he told the Post “it is fair to say that the large percentage of them will be in Golden because that is where the large percentage of our staff work.” The National Laboratory of the Rockies also has offices in Washington, D.C., and California and a research site in Alaska, Glickson said. The national lab’s website says it has nearly 4,000 employees, including postdocs, researchers and interns. In May, the Trump administration slashed 114 positions at what was then known as the NREL…

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