Some groups that do research and collect data on the Great Lakes face existential threats as the federal budgeting process for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gets underway.
This coverage is made possible in part through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
A proposed budget request from President 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.
“The investment that we make pays off in terms of safer water, public safety, public health, as well as economic activity,” said Gregory Dick, director of the Cooperative Institute Lakes Research (CIGLR), a partnership between the University of Michigan and NOAA.
Researchers at CIGLR work closely with NOAA to conduct work on lake water levels, ice dynamics and harmful algal blooms on Lake Erie. Data is used by state managers, fishermen, 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."
Beyond this data, Dick is worried about long-term research on how climate change is affecting the Great Lakes. Water levels are fluctuating and Dick said understanding those dynamics is important for future planning around development and the economy.
Another at-risk program is the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS), a regional network collecting data on wave heights, water temperatures, ice, wind and more. The network makes real-time data available to the public, and it’s often used by boaters, fishermen and people who recreate 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.
In a memo released with the budget proposal, the White House stated 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.
NOAA programs in the Great Lakes are already adapting to cuts from the previous year. The Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (which houses CIGLR), for example, lost about 40% of its staff last year after rounds of layoffs and early retirements, according to Dick.
GLOS is also in a more vulnerable position this year, Boehme said. The program is up for a contract renewal with NOAA, which happens every five years. And the system hasn’t received 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 President’s budget is more a signal of priorities than binding, 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 in the middle of that process.
This year, the House Appropriations Committee has passed a bill that would fund NOAA at levels similar to last year, largely ignoring the President’s budget proposal. But the bill is $300 million short of last year’s funding. The Senate hasn’t passed their version of the appropriations bill yet.
Congress funded these Great Lakes programs last year after the President proposed similar cuts, likely because they know the value they provide for the region and country, Eastman said.
“I do think that the more that Congress pushes back, I think the more the executive branch and the President will see that they're not gaining anything by continuing to try to impose draconian cuts,” he said.
