US ocean observatories imperiled by 'earmark' crackdown
The Senate has twice passed bills to formally establish and fund a national monitoring system, but House versions never came to a vote.
from the May 2, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Other ocean-observing networks are facing the same squeeze. "We do not have enough money to sustain the system in the long term," says Madilyn Fletcher, director of The Carolinas Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction System in Columbia, S.C., which has deferred maintenance on its buoys and may pull them if funds cannot be secured.
The root problem: Congress never passed legislation to fund the system. In recent years, the Senate twice passed bills that would have formally established and fund the national system. House versions never came to the floor for a vote, according to congressional sources from both parties, because of the opposition of then- Rep. Richard Pombo (R) of California. As chair of the powerful natural resources committee, he often opposed spending on environmental issues.
As a result, the ocean-observing systems relied on congressional earmarks to cover most of their operations, but these were stripped from this year's budget.
"Given the scandalous results of the earmark process in recent years, something needed to be done," says Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste in Washington, which opposes earmarks. "It's an inequitable and noncompetitive way to allocate funds. It's difficult to separate what is worthwhile from what might not be."
Prospects for long-term funding have improved because Mr. Pombo lost his seat in November, proponents say. But even if appropriate legislation passes, it may be too late to avoid major disruptions. "Once you shut something down, you lose the people and expertise you've cultivated, and it's considerably more expensive to get it going again," notes Dr. Fletcher.
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