Trump NOAA cuts could choke Great Lakes science

NOAA cuts – A proposed NOAA budget cut of $1.3 billion would eliminate programs researchers say underpin weather observations, water quality monitoring, maritime safety, and recreation across the Great Lakes—just as some Great Lakes labs and observation networks are still

By the time people decide where to swim, fish, or launch a boat, much of the information they rely on has already been collected and translated into real-time warnings—on the basis of years of measurements of water levels, ice conditions, waves, temperatures, and harmful algal blooms.

Now that daily chain of data is at risk. As the annual budgeting process for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gets underway. a proposed budget request from President Donald Trump would zero out programs that scientists say are the foundation of weather observations. water quality. maritime safety. and recreation on the Great Lakes. The president wants to cut NOAA’s budget by $1.3 billion. or one-third of current funding levels. to better match priorities related to halting climate research.

Gregory Dick, director of the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, or CIGLR, a partnership between the University of Michigan and NOAA, said the cuts would strike at work that communities use immediately.

“The investment that we make pays off in terms of safer water, public safety, public health, as well as economic activity,” Dick said.

At CIGLR, researchers work closely with NOAA to conduct work on lake water levels, ice dynamics, and harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie. Data from that work is used by state managers, fishers, boaters, and the regional shipping industry.

“That’s the kind of data that you want at your fingertips,” Dick said. “That’s what’s at risk with cuts like the ones we’re talking about.”

Even if the immediate data feeds are protected for some activities. Dick said the longer arc of research could be damaged. He worries about long-term research on how climate change is affecting the Great Lakes. pointing to water levels that are fluctuating and arguing that understanding those dynamics matters for future planning geared toward development projects and the economy.

Another at-risk program is the Great Lakes Observing System. or GLOS. a regional network that coordinates data collection on wave heights. water temperatures. ice. wind. and more. The network makes real-time data available to the public and is often used by boaters. fishers. and other people who spend time in and on the lakes.

“If you want to visit a beach. if you want to take your dog and let it run in the lake. it’s really important to know beforehand if there’s a bloom there or dangerous surf conditions. ” said Jennifer Boehme. CEO of GLOS. The system is one of 11 NOAA-funded observation networks across the country that maintain data from oceans and coasts.

The budget request comes with a message from the White House. In a memo released with the budget proposal. it said that “President Trump is committed to eliminating funding for the globalist climate agenda while unleashing American energy production.” The proposed NOAA budget will cut climate research and save taxpayer money. according to the memo.

But the pressure on Great Lakes science is already showing. NOAA programs focused on the Great Lakes are adapting to cuts from the previous year. The Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. which houses CIGLR. lost about 40 percent of its staff last year after rounds of layoffs and early retirements. according to Dick.

Boehme said GLOS is also in a more vulnerable position this year. The program is up for a contract renewal with NOAA, which happens every five years, and it still has yet to receive all of its appropriated funds from last year.

“Each lapse makes the next one worse, and rebuilding isn’t just a matter of writing another check. The relationships and the seasonal schedules that make the network function can take years to reconstruct,” she said.

Still. the proposed budget is more a signal of priorities than a binding mandate. said Alex Eastman. the Great Lakes program manager at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. a nonprofit policy research group. Appropriations are ultimately decided by Congress, which is currently in the middle of that process.

This year. the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill that would fund most NOAA programs at $1.3 billion more than the president’s budget proposal. ignoring his calls for steep cuts. The regional observation networks, including GLOS, would see an 18 percent increase in funding. Even so, the bill is $300 million short of last year’s funding. The Senate hasn’t passed its version of the appropriations bill yet.

Congress ultimately funded these Great Lakes research programs last year after Trump proposed similar cuts, Eastman said, adding that lawmakers likely understood the value the work provides for the region and country.

“I do think that the more that Congress pushes back, the more the executive branch and the president will see that they’re not gaining anything by continuing to try to impose draconian cuts,” Eastman said.

NOAA Great Lakes CIGLR University of Michigan Great Lakes Observing System GLOS harmful algal blooms Lake Erie weather observations water quality maritime safety climate research Congressional appropriations House Appropriations Committee contract renewal