We saved the ocean sensors

A few weeks ago, we learned through news reports that the Trump administration was planning to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of over 900 sensors on the ocean floor off the coasts of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina, and Greenland.

No warning, no scientific review, and no legal notification to Congress as required by law.

This system has been tracking ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, extreme weather, and climate change for over a decade. Fishers check its real-time wind and wave data before heading out to sea. Meteorologists use it to improve hurricane and tsunami forecasts. Scientists have cited it in over 500 published studies. Congress funded it to run another 15 to 20 years.

The administration wanted it gone by 2027, and they'd already started pulling buoys out of the water off Oregon's coast.

I wasn't going to let that happen, so I teamed up with Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and we led a bipartisan push to stop it. We introduced legislation to block further dismantling until a real scientific review could be conducted, and the Senate passed our measure by unanimous consent.

The very next day, because of our work and pressure from the public, the National Science Foundation reversed course. They announced they would pause all removal efforts immediately and convene an expert panel to determine the system's future.

Some sensors had already been pulled from the water off Oregon and Washington, but scientists at Oregon State are now working to get them redeployed. We'll be watching closely to make sure the administration follows through on its commitment to put them back.

This is part of Trump's broader attack on science — gutting NOAA, hollowing out the EPA, walking away from climate science right when we need it most. Every one of those fights matters, and in this one, we showed that bipartisan pressure works.

Onward!

Jeff