Baldwin Raises Concerns Will NOAA Firings Impact Great Lakes

MADISON, Wis. (CIVIC MEDIA) – Wisconsin communities rely on Lake Michigan and Superior for fresh drinking water and to support their local economies.

Senator Tammy Baldwin and 7 other senators wrote a letter to NOAA’s Vice Admiral Hann. They want to know in detail the number of people fired at NOAA, how many of those served the Great Lakes, and what services will be lost as a result. They also inquired how they plan to preserve these services.

12 sectors within NOAA were listed that deal with Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. They range from things like providing critical marine forecasts for shipping, storm surges and coastal flooding. To investing in clean drinking water, or protecting native fish from invasive species. There are even programs to prevent microplastics from entering the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes beaches also don’t typically have lifeguards, areas being cut could include critical wave forecasting, buoys and satellite data. The tools used to forecast wave heights, rip currents, algae blooms and more could change.

Dear Vice Admiral Nancy Hann:

We write to express our deep concern over the firing of probationary staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the potential impact these firings will have on the Great Lakes. We request information on these firings—including at the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) and any other NOAA installations and programs that serve the Great Lakes area—as well as a concrete plan for re-establishing terminated public services.

The Great Lakes are among the United States’ greatest natural treasures, strengthening our economy and attracting millions of visitors each year. The Lakes provide drinking water to over 30 million people, generate clean hydropower, and generate $3.1 trillion in gross domestic product.

National and regional NOAA programs help protect these lakes and support our constituents who call the Great Lakes home. The National Weather Service provides our weather and climate forecasts and warnings. The National Sea Grant Program helps conserve our aquatic resources. The Marine Debris Program prevents microplastics and litter from entering the Great Lakes, protecting our wildlife, natural resources, fishing and boating economy, and nearby residents’ health. The Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research invests in our clean drinking water. And the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) provides critical information for resource use and management decisions, including information on algal blooms and hypoxia, invasive species, ice cover and shipping navigability, and storm surges and coastal flooding.

We are deeply concerned that the layoffs at NOAA will harm these critical initiatives. The staffing reductions have already required the GLERL, for example, to take an “indefinite hiatus” from its public communications, depriving the public of critical information such as what to do during a flood warning and how to stay safe in the extreme cold. When these communications go dark, the public suffers.

Therefore, we request the following information by March 28, 2025:

1. The number of people fired at NOAA during your tenure as Acting Administrator.
2. The number of people fired at each NOAA program that serves the Great Lakes:
   1. National Weather Service
   2. National Estuarine Research Reserve System
   3. NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries
   4. National Sea Grant Program
   5. NOAA Marine Debris Program
   6. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)
   7. Great Lakes Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET)
   8. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
   9. Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)
   10. Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR)
   11. Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
   12. Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC)
3. The services that will be terminated as a result of the firings at each of the above programs.
4. Your plan to maintain or restore these services.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

In addition to Senator Baldwin, the letter was led by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and co-signed by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Gary Peters (D-MI).