White House aims to eliminate NOAA climate research in budget plan

Trump administration aims to cut NOAA funding by 27%, eliminate climate research, and shift focus to energy development.

The administration of President Donald Trump aims to eliminate the arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that oversees research on climate change and refocus the U.S. fisheries service to support energy development, according to a draft White House budget document.

The moves are part of a plan to downsize NOAA dramatically, slashing agency funding by around $1.67 billion, or 27%, according to the proposal.

The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, known also as NOAA Research, would be closed under the proposal, along with $480 million in funding for regional climate data and information, agency research laboratories, and cooperative institutes, among other programs.

NOAA, a division of the Department of Commerce, is a scientific agency that oversees weather and climate forecasts, monitors ocean and atmospheric conditions and manages the nation’s commercial fisheries.

The Trump administration has fired hundreds of NOAA workers as part of its effort to slash government bureaucracy.

“No final funding decisions have been made,” Alexandra McCandless, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said in an email.

Environmental groups criticized the proposal, saying it would leave communities vulnerable to extreme weather, threaten ocean species and harm commercial fisheries.