Policy
Authorization
The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is authorized by the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System (ICOOS) Act, first signed into law by in 2009. The ICOOS Act was most recently passed by Congress with broad, bipartisan support, and signed into law in 2020. It reauthorized IOOS through Fiscal Year 2025. The IOOS Association provides information to Congress to help them craft legislation that aligns with current needs and the scope of ocean observing work across the country.
Legislation to reauthorize IOOS was introduced in the House (H.R.2294) on March 24, 2025 by Mike Ezell (R, MS-04). It passed the House in March 2026. A Senate bill (S. 2126) was introduced on June 18, 2025 by Roger Wicker (R, MS) and has passed committee. Both bills have a long list of bipartisan co-sponsors.
Appropriations
IOOS receives targeted funding through the annual congressional appropriations process.
Appropriated funds are distributed across the NOAA IOOS Program Office and the 11 nonfederal IOOS Regional Associations. The IOOS Association educates Congress on the resources the system requires to meet the needs of coastal communities, industry stakeholders, federal agencies, and Tribes across the country.
A well-funded IOOS furthers understanding of resource-rich coastal areas and prepares communities for risks associated with environmental impacts, including floods, extreme weather, harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia, oil spills, and other hazards. Annual appropriations to the Regional IOOS program sustain critical infrastructure, data collection, and data product delivery. Increased support for IOOS will continue to enhance service delivery for ocean information users across the regional network and the 17 federal agencies whose missions IOOS supports. This funding also provides a sustained operational backbone for safe and efficient maritime transportation and commerce, U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue operations, offshore energy development and operations, and resource management.
Policy Priorities
The IOOS Association and the 11 IOOS Regional Associations support policy priorities that advance ocean technology, and data collection and access. The IOOS Association seeks robust, stable funding to keep ocean and Great Lakes observation systems running and to ensure data is available to support policy setting and decision making related to safety, economic resilience, environmental sustainability, and public health, and advocates for investments in modern ocean observation systems to support the ocean-based economy and a wide array of industry sectors, including navigation and energy. The IOOS Association and Regional Associations also support innovation to make observing systems more affordable, efficient, and able to collect new types of data, as well as initiatives that fortify workforce development for the ocean economy.
The IOOS Association regularly provides technical feedback on legislation that impacts ocean observing technology and our national capacity for water quality monitoring, weather forecasting, coastal risk assessment, and more. As regional experts on local coastal and ocean environments, hazards, and conditions, the IOOS Regional Associations serve as resources for federal agencies and Members of Congress and their staff on these dynamic issue areas.
Resources
To reauthorize the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009.
Establish a national integrated System of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems…
Fact sheet describing how IOOS supports the goals of U.S. Seafood Competitiveness
Fact sheet describing how IOOS supports U.S. Maritime Dominance
This testimony supports Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service to ensure sustained ocean observation to improve the resilience and economic prosperity of the nation’s coastal and Great Lakes communities.
This letter, signed by 655 individuals, demonstrates support for the IOOS Regional Associations, specifically opposes the dramatic cuts to the IOOS regions proposed in the Fiscal Year 2025 President’s Budget, and supports the IOOS Association’s FY 2025 funding request of $56M (authorized level).
This letter, signed by 429 individuals, demonstrates general support for IOOS and the Regional Associations without advocating for a specific funding amount.
The Fiscal Year 2025 President’s Budget proposed funding to IOOS Regional Observations at $10M, representing a reduction of more than 76% from fiscal year 2024 enacted levels and lower than any funding to the system since its inception in 2008. The IOOS Association transmitted this letter to the Secretary of Commerce to build awareness of the value of the long-standing data and services of the IOOS Regional Associations and their direct benefit to NOAA’s stated fiscal year 2025 priorities.
IOOS is the nation’s leading resource for coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes data and information. IOOS supports a vast network of buoys, weather stations, and other sensors that monitor U.S. waters and provide critical, publicly-accessible data, driven by local and regional needs. The request for Fiscal Year 2025 appropriated funding to IOOS in line with our FY25 authorized appropriation level, which ensures core funding continuity that keeps pace with inflation.
This testimony supports Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service to ensure sustained ocean observation to improve the resilience and economic prosperity of the nation’s coastal and Great Lakes communities.
