Trump Administration Reverses Course on Ocean Monitoring System Removal After Backlash

Jun 18, 2026

The Trump administration has reversed a plan to dismantle most of the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a $360M+ system monitoring climate and fisheries. Following intense bipartisan opposition led by Sens. Murkowski and Merkley and a unanimous Senate bill blocking the move, the National Science Foundation will continue operations and form a panel to ensure the system's future sustainability.

Ocean Observatories Initiative removal plan

▪An array from the coastal waters off Oregon was removed in early June 2026 as part of the initial plan.
▪The Trump administration's original plan was to remove four of five Ocean Observatories Initiative arrays from the Pacific and Atlantic.
▪The Ocean Observatories Initiative had served less than half its intended lifespan when the removal was planned.

Congressional opposition efforts

▪The plan to dismantle the system faced intense opposition from members of Congress, researchers, and ocean advocacy groups.
▪A bipartisan group of senators led by Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) urged the administration to reverse the plan.
▪The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to block federal funding for the system's decommissioning until a thorough review was completed.

Administration policy reversal

▪The Trump administration reversed its decision to remove the ocean monitoring arrays on June 18, 2026, following backlash.
▪The National Science Foundation announced it will continue operations and maintenance of the arrays and not proceed with further removal.
▪The NSF will redeploy the array previously removed from Oregon's waters after it has been serviced.

Ocean monitoring system importance

▪The Ocean Observatories Initiative went online in 2016 and cost more than $360 million to build.
▪The annual maintenance cost for the array system is estimated at $40 million or more.
▪Opponents argued that removing the network would undermine the monitoring of fisheries and climate patterns like El Niño.
▪The system's arrays monitor ocean conditions, track marine heatwaves, and collect data on how the ocean influences hurricanes.

Future sustainability review

▪The National Science Foundation will convene an expert panel to identify a "sustainable path" for its ocean observation systems.
▪A 2025 report from the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine had previously recommended a similar panel to address concerns about the array.