Merkley, Murkowski Secure Commitment to Preserve U.S. Ocean Monitoring Systems

Washington, D.C. - Following public outrage over the dismantling of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced the NSF was pausing its planned removal of the OOI's sensors. NSF's decision came after Merkley and Murkowski passed a Senate bill to pause the dismantling and pressed NSF to preserve the OOI sensors:

"I teamed up with Senator Murkowski to lead an 'SOS' call-Save Ocean Sensors-and the Senate unanimously approved our bipartisan bill to defend the vital Ocean Observatories Initiative. Now, the National Science Foundation has reversed course and agreed to preserve the OOI's critical sensors that provide essential data for managing our fisheries, forecasting weather, and understanding climate change," said Merkley. "We'll keep fighting to ensure scientists, fishermen, and coastal communities can continue to utilize the critical data the OOI provides."

"National Science Foundation's decision to leave the OOI buoys in place is a massive win for coastal communities and fishermen around the country," said Murkowski. "The data accessed through OOI is a gamechanger for so many, and I'm immensely grateful that NSF listened to our calls. Today we saw the federal process at work-with Congress advocating and the Executive taking decisive action. I'm pleased to have partnered with Senator Merkley and a number of my colleagues to get this across the finish line."

Previously, Merkley and Murkowski secured Senate passage of their bipartisan Saving the OOI Act, a simple two-page bill that says no federal funds shall be used to decommission the OOI system until the NSF conducts a thorough review and assessment of the network with robust stakeholder engagement. The Saving the OOI Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

Merkley and Murkowski also led a bipartisan group of Senators in demanding that the NSF reverse course on its plan to eliminate most of the OOI's monitors.

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