Lawmakers fight to stop the Trump administration's dismantling of a $386 million ocean observatory project
Summary
Several Democratic senators, one Republican senator, and two Democratic House committees asked the National Science Foundation (NSF) to stop its plan to shut down a large ocean monitoring system. This system, called the Ocean Observatories Initiative, has been collecting important ocean data for over ten years and was supposed to continue for 15 to 20 more years.Key Facts
- The Ocean Observatories Initiative includes more than 900 sensors in the ocean.
- It cost $386 million to build the network.
- The system tracks ocean currents, marine life, climate change, and severe weather.
- Data from the initiative is free and has helped produce over 500 scientific studies.
- The National Science Foundation planned to dismantle the project.
- Lawmakers claim the NSF’s plan may be illegal.
- The project was intended to operate for another 15 to 20 years.
- Both Democratic and one Republican senator signed letters opposing the shutdown.
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