Saving the OOI Act of 2026 in plain language
1: Short title
This section would give the Act a short title: the Saving the OOI Act of 2026.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Saving the OOI Act of 2026 .
2: No NSF funding to descope or decommission the Ocean Observatories Initiative instruments; restoration
This section would bar the National Science Foundation from using any federal funds to decommission or descope the instruments of the Ocean Observatories Initiative that are anchored off the states of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and North Carolina, and in the Irminger Sea. This bar would apply notwithstanding any other provision of law, meaning it would override other laws that might otherwise allow the funding to be used that way. The bar would stay in place until the National Science Foundation completes a thorough review of the initiative and of the national assets it provides, and that review would have to include robust stakeholder engagement from the scientific and coastal communities. Separately, the Director of the National Science Foundation would have to maintain the Ocean Observatories Initiative with full and consistent operations, including monitoring, in all states that had instruments decommissioned, and this requirement would last until the full review described above has been completed.
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2. No NSF funding to descope or decommission the Ocean Observatories Initiative instruments; restoration (a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the National Science Foundation shall not use any Federal funds to decommission or descope the Ocean Observatories Initiative instruments anchored off the States of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and North Carolina, and in the Irminger Sea, until the National Science Foundation conducts a thorough review of the initiative, and the national assets that it provides, with robust stakeholder engagement from the scientific and coastal communities. (b) Maintenance of operations The Director of the National Science Foundation shall maintain the Ocean Observatories Initiative with full and consistent operations, including monitoring in all States that had instruments decommissioned, until the full review described in subsection (a) has been completed. Passed the Senate June 17, 2026. Secretary