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Trump Administration Backs Off Plan to End Ocean Monitoring
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- The Trump administration has decided to halt its plan to dismantle the $368 million Ocean Observatories Initiative, a key system for monitoring climate change and marine ecosystems, following bipartisan opposition in Congress.
- The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced it will pause the removal of underwater instruments that collect vital data on coastal flooding, marine heat waves, and other environmental events, and will convene an expert panel to assess the system's future.
- The Senate passed a measure blocking the dismantling of the system, with lawmakers from both parties warning that such actions would be illegal and jeopardize coastal community safety.
- Previous attempts by the Trump administration to cut funding for the program were overturned by Congress, which restored the funds in the past two years.
- The planned removal involved retrieving instruments off the coasts of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina, and the Irminger Sea between Greenland and Iceland.
