Cantwell and Members of Washington Delegation Urge NOAA to Re-Examine Marine Operations Center Move
WASHINGTON, DC –Today, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), along with other members of the Washington state Congressional delegation sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Undersecretary Jane Lubchenco, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expressing continued concern over the decision to move NOAA’s Marine Operations Center-Pacific from its decades-long home in the Puget Sound to Newport, Oregon.
“While the GAO continues to examine whether the competition for this facility was fair, I also have a number of larger policy concerns that I feel haven’t been addressed yet,” said Cantwell. “For centuries, mariners have utilized the strategic and logistic benefits of the
“This move takes NOAA further away from its employees and mission, not closer,” said Senator Patty Murray. “And because of the logistical hurdles this move creates, we need to take a hard look at how this decision was made. The
In a letter written by Governor Chris Gregoire to Locke and Lubchenco last week, she stated: "For decades, NOAA's Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P) has made its home in
The letter, which is copied below, requested that the Department conduct an independent review of the potential damage a move to
Cantwell is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, which oversees NOAA.
Text of Letter:
October 13, 2009
The Honorable Gary Locke The Honorable Jane Lubchenco
Secretary Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere
Department of Commerce Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave
Dear Secretary Locke and Under Secretary Lubchenco:
We continue to have serious concerns about NOAA’s proposed move of its Marine Operations Center-Pacific from its decades-long home in the Puget Sound to a new location in
NOAA’s proposed move threatens the collaboration that helps NOAA researchers need to advance the agency’s scientific mission. Indeed, NOAA recognized the importance of proximity to other NOAA facilities by including “Proximity to the
· NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) has one of its nine nation-wide major facilities located in the Puget Sound, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, while
· NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) has five facilities located throughout the
· NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has five major facilities throughout
NOAA researchers from these facilities are the intended users and beneficiaries of the vessels that will be homeported at the MOC-P, and relocating the ships to
Transporting NOAA researchers from their facilities in the Puget Sound to their vessels in
This distance is particularly problematic for outside scientists wishing to collaborate with NOAA scientists and conduct research on NOAA’s research vessels. In an age where collaboration is such a key factor in creating good science, it seems ironic that NOAA would add such hurdles discouraging collaboration, rather than making collaboration as logistically easy as possible.
We believe NOAA did not sufficiently consider the costs of moving its research vessels hundreds of miles away from the very researchers and scientists who will utilize those vessels the most. We request that you take a fresh look at these vital questions and conduct a formal independent review of these logistical hurdles’ implications in the context of whether moving NOAA’s
Respectfully,
Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray
Representatives Jim McDermott, Jay Inslee, Brian Baird, Rick Larsen, and Dave Reichert
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