119th Congress · introduced in the Senate · Jun 17, 2026
Saving the OOI Act of 2026
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Jun 18, 2026): Held at the desk.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Passed Senate (Jun 17, 2026)
Saving the OOI Act of 2026
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.
Includes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Held at the desk.
Received in the House.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Introduced 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)
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Voice Vote.
Introduced in Senate
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Arctic Ocean · Atlantic Ocean · Earth sciences · Environmental assessment, monitoring, research · National Science Foundation · Pacific Ocean · Research administration and funding
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