tech
US lawmakers fight Trump cuts to $386m ocean monitoring program: ‘supreme stupidity’
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator, joins Democrats in bid to stop dismantling of Ocean Observatories Initiative
TL;DR
- Democratic and Republican lawmakers are opposing the National Science Foundation's (NSF) plan to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a $386 million ocean monitoring network.
- Lawmakers accuse the NSF of acting illegally by not providing required notification to Congress before decommissioning assets valued over $2.5 million.
- The network has provided data for over 500 scientific publications and tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change, and extreme weather.
- The NSF claims the decision is a 'descoping' to prioritize 'evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies'.
- Senators cited the approaching El Niño as a reason for the ill-timed cuts, warning of impacts on coastal communities, fishermen, and emergency responders.
- Legislation is planned to prohibit NSF from spending federal funds to decommission instruments until a thorough review is completed.