[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 102 (Wednesday, June 17, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2885-S2886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAVING THE OOI ACT OF 2026
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise to address an issue of importance
to our commercial fisheries and to our weather and to scientific
studies. Specifically, that is the issue of sustaining the Ocean
Observatories Initiative. It is a system of 900 sensors that we have in
five different arrays around the oceans surrounding the United States
that provide immense information--these anchored sensors--on the
salinity, which is the salt content of the water, on the temperature,
on the current direction, and on the phytoplankton at the bottom of the
food chain. All of that information gives us enormously improved
understanding of our ocean conditions. In fact, that information has
been used in over 500 academic studies.
Now, what value is this?
Well, understanding our commercial fisheries is essential for
maintaining the success of our commercial fisheries, and a huge amount
of our weather is affected by the temperature of the ocean in different
locations. That is why you hear weathermen talking about El Nino and La
Nina--because they are large, massive bodies of water that are either
colder than usual or warmer than usual and are changing all the
patterns of weather.
It is also important for understanding climate change because the
ocean stores some--I think it is--90 percent of the temperature
increases that come from carbon dioxide and monoxide.
To get to the point, the National Science Foundation has started
pulling out these arrays--it started yesterday--with an array called
the Coastal Endurance Array off the coast of Oregon. But to everyone
who represents any oceanfront in the United States, these are
incredibly valuable investments. We have spent $386 million in
developing these arrays. They are supposed to provide information for
30 years, and pulling them out makes no sense.
So this bill that we have teamed up on--Alaska and Oregon, myself and
Senator Lisa Murkowski--is simple.
It says: National Science Foundation, stop dismantling this
enormously valuable array until we can have a full study of the pros
and cons and stakeholder input because we cannot make a mistake and
undermine the success of our commercial fisheries, our recreational
fisheries, and our understanding of the weather and climate.
With that, I would like to turn this over to my colleague from
Alaska.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I appreciate being here on the floor
with my colleague from Oregon and working on this very important Ocean
Observatories Initiative.
As he has outlined, understanding what is happening in our oceans is
so key; it so critical. It is not just about how it impacts the fish
and the habitat within our oceans; it is about the impact that our
oceans have on the planet, recognizing that when you see warming
waters, that has impact on the weather, on the jet stream,
understanding all of that--understanding from the purposes of what it
means from an industry perspective.
In my State and in the State of Oregon--also a State that has strong
fisheries--it is important to understand the science so that we are
making sound fisheries management decisions--sound for the fisheries
and the resource itself, sound for the economies in those coastal
communities that rely on them. So good science is really, really
important.
As Senator Merkley has mentioned, we have an extraordinary system in
place with this Ocean Observatories Initiative--a network of 900 deep-
sea instruments that are providing real-time data to help us monitor
the ocean conditions, predict extreme weather, and protect the coastal
communities and maritime industries.
These are all over our oceans. As the Senator from Oregon has noted,
the Coastal Endurance Array is in the Pacific Northwest. There is an
array that is in the Gulf of Alaska, the Global Station Papa Array.
This is 600 nautical miles off the coast, more than 2\1/2\ miles
beneath the surface of the water. So these are down deep. These are
gathering information that is hard to get. These are systems that are
not only in the Pacific, but we have the array that is situated between
Greenland and Iceland. I was just out in that region, and people were
talking about the significance of the data that comes from this.
So, again, we have an extraordinary system that has been put in
place, and then you have an announcement that caught everyone by
surprise when the National Science Foundation said: We are going to
begin dismantling one of our most complex ocean-monitoring systems.
This is all happening at a time when everybody is talking about El
Nino and what that is going to bring in terms of the potential for
extreme weather events. This is not the time to be turning off one of
our most valuable scientific assets.
So this is an investment that has been made. It represents actually
decades of investment. It makes the data publicly available so that
every American--whether you are a fisherman, a university researcher,
our U.S. Coast Guard who is performing rescue operations--they can all
safely operate.
So Congress has made really clear that we intend to maintain this
cost-effective system by ensuring that we have funding for the program
in our annual appropriations bill. As appropriators, that is our job.
And enough Senators and Congressmen have agreed that it was a prudent
use of taxpayer dollars to do just that.
Normally, we would reiterate our intent through the appropriations
process by funding the system and including language prohibiting funds
from being used for the dismantling, but we just felt that time was of
the essence. As the Senator from Oregon has noted, when they are
dismantling--they have already begun as of yesterday--expedient
measures are necessary.
Mr. President, I would ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed
to the immediate consideration of S. 4822, which was introduced earlier
today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 4822) to prohibit the National Science
Foundation from using Federal funds to descope or
decommission the Ocean Observatories Initiative instruments.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered
read a third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read
the third time.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. I know of no further debate on the bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate on the bill, the
bill having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill
pass?
The bill (S. 4822) was passed as follows:
S. 4822
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Saving the OOI Act of
2026''.
SEC. 2. NO NSF FUNDING TO DESCOPE OR DECOMMISSION THE OCEAN
OBSERVATORIES INITIATIVE INSTRUMENTS;
RESTORATION.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the National Science Foundation shall not use any
Federal funds to decommission or descope the Ocean
Observatories Initiative instruments anchored off the States
of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and North Carolina, and in the
Irminger
[[Page S2886]]
Sea, until the National Science Foundation conducts a
thorough review of the initiative, and the national assets
that it provides, with robust stakeholder engagement from the
scientific and coastal communities.
(b) Maintenance of Operations.--The Director of the
National Science Foundation shall maintain the Ocean
Observatories Initiative with full and consistent operations,
including monitoring in all States that had instruments
decommissioned, until the full review described in subsection
(a) has been completed.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider
be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from
Oregon. This was fast-moving. He and I were able to join together with
letters. We were able to gather additional colleagues who weighed in on
this. And then to be able to move with the consent of the rest of this
body this evening to advance rapidly this measure I think speaks to the
importance of the initiative itself.
But I also want to acknowledge the strong support from Senator
Merkley in this initiative as we work to ensure that we have good,
sound science and the investments that we have made to allow for that
to continue. I just wanted to publicly thank him.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I would like to very much thank my
colleague from Alaska. We were both shocked to hear about this plan to
remove these sensors.
The sea off Alaska and certainly off the coast of the Northwestern
United States--Oregon, Washington--are incredible assets that we need
to understand. And I think about how, off Oregon, you have the
California current and the Pacific upwelling that give some of the most
productive fisheries to be found anywhere on the planet--from the
salmon to the rockfish, to the groundfish, to the whiting, to the
shrimp, to the crabs. And I know there are very similar, very rich
conditions in the seas off Alaska.
So it is a pleasure to collaborate with my colleague and for us to
gain the support of our fellow Senators on both sides of the aisle to
say it is very important to protect this system of sensors, the Ocean
Observatories Initiative, for the good work it is going to help provide
for weather, for commercial fisheries, recreational fisheries, and
understanding climate. So thank you.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
____________________