Saving the OOI Act of 2026
Introduced Jun 17, 2026 by Sen. Lisa Murkowski
The Senate passed it. The House has to pass it before it can reach the President.
This bill prohibits the National Science Foundation (NSF) from using federal funds to decommission or descope Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) instruments until a thorough review of OOI is completed.
OOI measures and observes ocean conditions using a series of in-water instruments that gather physical, chemical, geological, and biological data. On May 21, 2026, NSF announced that it would remove all in-water infrastructure from four of the five active OOI arrays.
Under the bill, NSF must conduct a thorough review of OOI with engagement from the scientific and coastal communities before decommissioning or descoping specified OOI instruments. This includes OOI instruments anchored off of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and North Carolina, as well as instruments anchored in the Irminger Sea. NSF is required to maintain full and consistent OOI operations, including monitoring in states where instruments have already been decommissioned, until the review is complete.
Summary by the Congressional Research Service.
No recorded roll-call vote on this bill — it may have passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, which don't record individual votes.
- Jun 18, 2026Held at the desk.
- Jun 18, 2026Received in the House.
- Jun 18, 2026Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jun 17, 2026Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S2885-2886; text: CR S2885-2886)
- Jun 17, 2026Passed/agreed to in Senate: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Jun 17, 2026Introduced in Senate