The Trump administration is reversing its decision to dismantle a critical ocean monitoring system that provides vital information on the health of the world’s oceans. The Ocean Observatories Initiative, established in 2016, involves around 900 instruments across parts of the Pacific and Atlantic.
Background
The National Science Foundation, which funds the $386 million deep-ocean system, announced in late May that it would be pulling up buoys and other underwater equipment from arrays off the coasts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina, and Greenland. However, after intense backlash from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the NSF has decided to halt these plans and convene an expert panel to identify a sustainable path forward.
Lawmakers, including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, raised objections to the original decision, with Murkowski calling it “supreme stupidity” and Merkley passing bipartisan legislation in the Senate to block the use of federal funds to dismantle the system.
House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, welcomed the NSF’s reversal but cautioned that it was not yet clear how much damage had already been done. The NSF said it remains committed to ocean sciences, responsible stewardship of its research infrastructure, and supporting the stakeholders that depend on it.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
