Magaziner Statement on Trump Administration Reversing Plan to End Ocean Monitoring Services Critical to Rhode Island

WARWICK, RI – Today, the Trump Administration announced it is abandoning plans to dismantle deep-sea monitoring instruments that provide critical data on ocean conditions and weather forecasting, following advocacy by Representative Seth Magaziner and Congressional colleagues to keep the system operational.

Magaziner released the following statement:

“After many of us sounded the alarm, the president finally backed down on his misguided plan to dismantle ocean monitoring systems that support Rhode Island’s fishing industry, improve weather forecasting, and combat climate change.

I will continue to fight back against cuts to ocean science that endanger Rhode Island’s economy and way of life.”

The Ocean Observatories Initiative was established in 2016 and was designed to operate for 30 years. It consists of more than 900 instruments deployed throughout the world’s oceans that provide real-time data critical to scientific research, weather forecasting, and ocean monitoring. The data is critical for the fishing industry, including for fishermen who rely on real-time accurate weather forecasting and ocean conditions, and for fishery managers who need the data to make informed decisions on stock management.

The Trump Administration’s National Science Foundation previously said it would remove the monitoring devices this month.

You can read the full letter from members of Congress opposing the plan to end the system here.