12.17.09

Cantwell Statement on NOAA Withholding Requested Information

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statement upon receiving information she requested from the National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) just hours after she issued her public statement yesterday:

 

“Two months ago, I requested that NOAA submit information regarding its decision to move its Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P) location from the Puget Sound to Newport, Oregon.  Just hours after I issued my public statement criticizing the agency for failing to respond to my request, NOAA delivered many of the requested documents to my office.

 

“As Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, these are standard questions to be asked of any acquisition or procurement process within my jurisdiction. I look forward to reviewing these materials, and hope that we’ll discover NOAA did all its homework. The flaws already uncovered by the GAO decision makes this review even more important to get right – so we’re not going to get too far ahead of the reading of the material. The most important thing is to determine whether NOAA followed clear, fair and transparent rules in making its recommendation to the Secretary.”

 

 

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