WASHINGTON, June 15 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley issued the following press release:
Today, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) led a bipartisan group of Senators to demand the National Science Foundation (NSF) halt its plans to dismantle the vital Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a complex system of 900 ocean monitoring instruments that provides crucial data for coastal communities, fishermen, and nationwide emergency preparedness.
"Eliminating most of this complex ocean monitoring system threatens the safety of our coastal communities while undermining our nation's ability to monitor coastal environments, marine currents, and extreme weather events," the bipartisan group of Senators wrote to NSF Acting Director Bria...