Above the Waterline: Science center saved by Georgia senators 

Courtesy USGS Science with its intimidating math abstract concepts and analytical thinking was never my strong suit in school I ve inevitably been more settled with language and verbal communication When I helped detected the nonprofit Chattahoochee Riverkeeper CRK thirty years ago I knew that it would be essential to identify local scientists experts who could provide our band with river figures and analysis to serve as a foundation for our learning and advocacy work My master s degree in environmental planning from Georgia Tech had offered a broad range of knowledge and emphasized big picture thinking collaborative approaches and problem-solving techniques useful skills but not enough to accomplish our organization s mission At several federal agencies located in the Atlanta area I revealed hydrologists biologists engineers geologists ecologists and other specialists who were willing even happy to provide the information we needed Various of the very best water scientists were at the U S Geological Survey USGS an agency within the U S Department of Interior Over the years these individuals have never failed to help us and plenty of others in Georgia to ensure that our work was based on science and fact Gold Standard Established nearly years ago USGS monitors natural support and landscapes in the U S and provides scientific information based on rigorous evidence quality standards It is the nation s largest water earth and biological science and mapping agency the gold standard for information that helps keep us our communities and our businesses alive and thriving The agency is also vigilantly non-partisan Without a fully functioning USGS the National Weather Function cannot issue accurate flood warnings Transportation agencies won t know how strong or high to build bridges Water management agencies like the Georgia Environmental Protection Division won t be able to balance water requirements for homes businesses farms and ecosystems On Atlanta s Chattahoochee River and elsewhere boaters fishermen and swimmers won t know if the water is safe Two years ago a water quality monitoring effort managed by USGS Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and the National Park Amenity identified and ultimately stopped a massive sewage spill into the river that summer When an exceptional drought scorched north Georgia in the late s and lake levels plummeted USGS provided real-time monitoring information that helped local and state agents make critical citizens medical and safety decisions When epic floods deluged Atlanta in September and caused more than million in damage to homes and businesses USGS personnel worked round-the-clock to provide the National Weather Arrangement and the community with vital information Termination Proposed Not long after businessman Elon Musk began to wave his destructive wand over federal agencies as instructed by Donald Trump his Department of Cabinet Efficiency DOGE proposed to terminate leases for more than thirty water science centers around the country In March Chattahoochee Riverkeeper discovered that the South Atlantic Water Science Center Science Center located in Norcross was on the hit list the facility coordinates the monitoring of waterways throughout Georgia South Carolina and North Carolina With its lease set to expire in the near future our Science Center was apparently low-hanging fruit for those intent on strangling the federal establishment in the name of efficiency No analysis of closure impacts on the local economies communities or the context had been conducted to justify the termination The closure of the Science Center would save a paltry sum a little over a million dollars a year while jeopardizing the collection and evaluation of monitoring records needed by weather forecasters crisis responders insurance carriers and the general According to one knowledgeable observer calamity managers would be flying blind as figures vanished Power of Persistence After CRK and others briefed Georgia s U S Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock they issued a joint letter in April to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum The letter stated that the closure of the Science Center would hamper our state s ability to safeguard people property and the circumstances Population statements by the senators at hearings media coverage and strong population opposition led to an unexpected DOGE reversal Secretary Burgum rescinded the termination of the USGS Center lease in mid-June He acknowledged a mistake had been made and highlighted the Science Center s importance for clean drinking water sources and water flows needed for agriculture industries military bases and others uses That problem has been averted at least for now This happy impact underscores lessons I ve learned over the decades Action matters Wins should be celebrated before tackling the next challenge there will perpetually be one Leaders like Senators Ossoff and Warnock who demand that decisions be made based on facts and science must be thanked and supported Still Under Attack Our nation s scientific infrastructure faces a multi-front attack at USGS and dozens of other federal agencies whose mission is to safeguard the citizens s physical condition safety and welfare Threats are increasing with the Trump regime s fiscal year budget request The proposed budget includes a massive funding cut of million for USGS a recommendation in the Project guidelines playbook prepared by the conservative Heritage Foundation Nearly percent of the agency s current budget will disappear if the proposal is approved Under consideration according to informed observers of the Trump anti-science machine is a move to fundamentally shift the -year-old mission of the USGS The agency would focus on the collection of input and not so much the analysis a largely meaningless exercise Proposed USGS budget cuts also call for the elimination of the agency s biological research campaign Ecosystem Mission Area Real-time water and hazard content is critical to cope with the accelerating circumstances situation It is irresponsibly reckless to abolish a plan that provides evidence-based solutions to help communities manage flooding drought wildfires heat waves and rising seas The post Above the Waterline Science center saved by Georgia senators appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta