Interlochen Public Radio
in northern Michigan.
Research organizations focused on the Great Lakes are confronting significant challenges as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) begins its annual budgeting process.
President Donald Trump has proposed a budget that would eliminate funding for programs critical to weather observations, water quality, maritime safety, and recreational activities on the Great Lakes. His plan involves reducing NOAA’s budget by $1.3 billion, or one-third of its current funding, to align with goals aimed at stopping climate research.
Gregory Dick, director of the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR), a collaboration between the University of Michigan and NOAA, stated, “The investment that we make pays off in terms of safer water, public safety, public health, as well as economic activity.”
CIGLR researchers work in conjunction with NOAA on projects involving lake water levels, ice dynamics, and harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie. Their data supports state managers, fishers, boaters, and the regional shipping industry.
Dick emphasized the importance of having easy access to this data, warning, “That’s what’s at risk with cuts like the ones we’re talking about.”
He also expressed concerns about the impact of climate change research on the Great Lakes if the data is lost. Water levels are fluctuating, and understanding these changes is crucial for future planning related to development projects and the economy.
The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), another program under threat, coordinates data on wave heights, water temperatures, ice, wind, and more. It provides real-time information to the public, which is valuable for boaters, fishers, and other lake users.
Jennifer Boehme, CEO of GLOS, highlighted the importance of this data, saying, “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.” The system is one of 11 NOAA-funded observation networks nationwide that maintain data from oceans and coasts.
A memo accompanying the budget proposal noted, “President Trump is committed to eliminating funding for the globalist climate agenda while unleashing American energy production.” The proposed budget aims to cut climate research and save taxpayer money.
NOAA programs already faced budget cuts last year. The Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, which includes CIGLR, lost about 40 percent of its staff due to layoffs and early retirements, according to Dick.
GLOS is similarly vulnerable this year, Boehme noted, as the program is up for a contract renewal with NOAA, a process that occurs every five years. It has yet to receive all of its allocated funds from the previous year.
Boehme stated, “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.”
Alex Eastman, the Great Lakes program manager at the Northeast-Midwest Institute, a nonprofit policy research group, explained that the president’s budget is more of a priority signal than a binding mandate. Congress ultimately decides appropriations, and they are currently in the process of doing so.
This year, the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill that would fund most NOAA programs at $1.3 billion more than the president’s proposal, disregarding his calls for severe cuts. The regional observation networks, including GLOS, would receive an 18 percent funding increase. However, the bill remains $300 million shy of last year’s funding, and the Senate has yet to pass its version of the appropriations bill.
Eastman noted that Congress funded these Great Lakes research programs last year despite similar proposed cuts, likely due to the recognized value they offer to the region and the nation.
“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 commented.
