06.20.25

Cantwell Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Save Ocean Buoys Program That Helps Protect Maritime Traffic & Fisheries

Trump’s budget proposal would cut $1.7 billion from NOAA and eliminate the IOOS program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and senior member of the Finance Committee, joined Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) in introducing legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) for the next five years, maintaining its current funding level at $56 million annually.

IOOS is a network of federal and regional associations that provide critical data to scientists and researchers about the nation’s coasts, oceans, and Great Lakes. President Trump’s FY2026 budget would cut $1.7 billion from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the leaked “pass back budget” would completely eliminate the IOOS program.

“Everyone from ship captains to shellfish farmers rely on the weather forecasts, navigational safety alerts, and ocean acidification monitoring provided by the Integrated Ocean Observing System. Our bill would reauthorize the program so it can keep supplying life-saving information that coastal communities need," said Sen. Cantwell.

IOOS, first authorized in 2009 by the “Integrated Coastal Ocean Observing Act,” is a partnership of 17 federal agencies and 11 regional associations, including the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) at the University of Washington. NANOOS maintains a network of high-tech buoys off the coasts of Washington and Oregon to measure wave height to help with navigation safety and tsunami warnings and monitor other marine life health indicators like the amount of dissolved oxygen and pH levels in the water.

IOOS supports a wide range of missions, providing critical data for national defense, Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations, marine commerce, navigation safety, weather, economic development, and ecosystem-based marine resource management. IOOS is also responsible for monitoring tag deployments of aquatic species, including Southern Resident orcas. More information about IOOS is available HERE.

If IOOS is eliminated, meteorologists would lose critical data from buoys and high frequency radars that inform U.S. Coast Guard search-and-rescue operations and forecasts from the National Weather Service. Public safety and disaster preparedness for coastal communities would also suffer. Tsunami coastal escape route planning, hurricane intensity measurements and tracking, and harmful algal bloom detection all rely on this public-private partnership of ocean and weather data from buoys, UAVs, and other cutting-edge technology.

“Observations from our oceans and Great Lakes are vital to supporting a strong maritime economy, ensuring public safety, and safeguarding national security. The authorization of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) affirms the critical need for ocean data to improve weather forecasting, enhance navigational safety, strengthen coastal resilience, and much more. IOOS establishes a strong public-private partnership that efficiently serves a wide range of users—across sectors, applications, and regions—by delivering the reliable, actionable information they depend on,” said Kristen Yarincik, IOOS Association Executive Director.

"For twenty years, NANOOS has provided reliable data, tools, and forecasts to support the safety and livelihoods of residents in Washington and Oregon. NANOOS delivers actionable information tailored to local needs, whether that is helping ship operators navigate safely, enabling shellfish growers to remain competitive, identifying safe tsunami evacuation routes for communities, or assisting state and tribal managers in protecting public health from harmful algal blooms without disrupting coastal economies. This trusted relationship is possible because the U.S. supports the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), which sustains cost-effective, federally certified regional partnerships like NANOOS across the country," said Jan Newton, NANOOS Executive Director.

The full bill text is available HERE.