Energy Department renames Colorado's NREL "National Laboratory of the Rockies"

The U.S. Department of Energy has renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado the National Laboratory of the Rockies. According to the news release sent out Monday, the renaming is effective immediately. 

"The energy crisis we face today is unlike the crisis that gave rise to NREL," said Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson in a statement. "We are no longer picking and choosing energy sources. Our highest priority is to invest in the scientific capabilities that will restore American manufacturing, drive down costs, and help this country meet its soaring energy demand. The National Laboratory of the Rockies will play a vital role in those efforts."  

According to the Department of Energy, the new name reflects "the Trump administration's broader vision for the lab's applied energy research."

In May, 114 employees at NREL, as well as remote employees, were laid off. The layoffs affected staff at the lab's Golden campus, as well as remote employees, not all of whom live in Colorado. The impacted workers came from both research and operations departments. 

NREL was founded in response to the 1973 energy crisis. NREL works on research and development of renewable energy, like solar and wind energy, and related technologies and research. Headquartered in Golden, it also has campuses in Arvada, Alaska, and an office in Washington, D.C., and employs approximately 3,000 people.