H.R. 9647 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Jul 13, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryProtects ocean monitoring instruments from shutdown
The Ocean Observatories Initiative uses underwater instruments scattered across the ocean to measure conditions like temperature, chemistry, and wildlife. This bill prevents the National Science Foundation from shutting down or reducing these instruments until it completes a thorough review and gets input from scientists and coastal communities.
How it affects you
This mainly affects scientists, researchers, and coastal communities that rely on ocean data to understand how the ocean is changing. The bill ensures that monitoring continues while the government reviews whether these ocean observation tools should keep operating.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Jul 13, 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. However, on June 18, 2026, NSF announced that it would not proceed with this decommissioning and would instead continue OOI operations and solicit input from stakeholders on the future of NSF's ocean observation efforts. NSF also indicated that it would redeploy one array that was removed from the water.
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.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionH. R. 9647
A BILL
To prohibit the National Science Foundation from obligating or expending Federal funds to descope or decommission the Ocean Observatories Initiative instruments, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1) · Introduced Jul 13, 2026 · Science, Technology, Communications · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jul 13, 2026: “Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.”