1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Push back against the Trump administration's plan to dismantle the Ocean Observatories Initiative. This $368 million network of over 900 instruments has been collecting irreplaceable data on ocean temperatures, currents, marine ecosystems, and climate conditions since 2016. Congress authorized it as a 30-year project. Pulling the plug at 10 years doesn't save money — it wastes it. Scrapping the OOI also means throwing away the scientific foundation that supports weather forecasting, fisheries management, and climate research. The White House has already proposed cutting more than half of the National Science Foundation's budget, and this looks like part of a deliberate effort to gut long-term environmental monitoring. The U.S. cannot afford to cede its leadership in ocean science to other nations willing to make that investment. Stand against this dismantlement now.