State lawmakers make push for Congress to remedy NOAA research station outages in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaskan senators are moving to pressure federal lawmakers to find a solution to reported outages of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research stations in Alaska through a joint resolution that advanced from a Senate committee on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, senators heard public testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 12, which demands Congress to require that NOAA “ensure the reliability of National Data Buoy Center meteorological/ocean stations,” and take action order to “restore full functionality” of related equipment and the program as a whole.
The call for an assist from the federal government comes as state lawmakers express concerns over safety in Alaska – including for mariners and others in the state – with so many depending upon National Weather Service forecasting programs, including the buoy stations.
Sponsored by Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, multiple iterations of SJR 12 have been proposed, with the resolution asking for specific attention to the subject of buoy research site outages from Alaska’s Congressional delegation, to include addressing the issue within the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025.
“These buoys provide precise, real-time information on a comprehensive set of weather conditions,” Dunbar explained at a prior hearing on the resolution. “Mariners, fishermen, and the Coast Guard rely on this information to assess ocean conditions.
“The problem is that, in the last five years, the weather buoys have been plagued with service outages,” he continued, adding that a buoy at NOAA Station 46061 – also known as Seal Rocks, in Prince William Sound – is of key importance, given its location between Montague and Hinchinbrook Islands and its role in the safe movement of oil tankers to and from Valdez. “The buoy was out of service all last winter, and the wave height instrument has been out of service all this winter, so the impact is, when the Seal Rocks buoy is out of service, the Coast Guard must rely on spot reports from passing ships, and data from more distant stations to estimate conditions in Hinchinbrook [Island] entrance. And these methods are not precise.”
The U.S. Coast Guard closes the Hinchinbrook Islands entrance, Dunbar explained, when weather conditions at Seal Rocks exceed a windspeed of 45 knots or seas of 15 feet.
“If a tanker lost power or maneuvering in conditions above these thresholds, rescuers would likely not be able to prevent it from grounding,” he added. “A tanker wreck would result in a severe oil spill devastating the local environment fisheries, and tourism.”
At the Senate Transportation Committee hearing Tuesday, Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, confirmed there were no testifiers in attendance in person or over the phone and closed testimony, moving the current version of SJR 12 – with individual recommendations and an attached fiscal note – out of committee. It is unclear when the bill might be taken up next.
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