Political Quotes

“I rise to introduce the Accelerating, Networking, Cyberinfrastructure, and Hardwater for Oceanic Research, ANCHOR, Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would require the National Science Foundation to plan critical cyber security and internet upgrades to essential oceanographic research vessels. This bill would direct the National Science Foundation to report to Congress on the costs, personnel, and equipment necessary to upgrade the 17 ocean- and lake-going research vessels in the Academic Research Fleet. These ships and their submarines do research around the world across topics as fundamental as climate change, marine health, and national security. This report is an important first step in making needed upgrades to these research vessels for improved science, cyber security, and telecommunications. Around the world, researchers traverse waters to better understand our oceans. In Alaska, the R/V Sikuliaq regularly ventures into icy Arctic waters, breaking ice up to 2.5 inches thick to study remote polar ecosystems. In California, the R/V Sally Ride explores the deep ocean in the Pacific, characterizing the toxic legacy of DDT barrels dumped over 50 years ago. In the Great Lakes, the R/V Blue Heron navigates Lake Superior, conducting long-term research on harmful algal blooms. But these important research vessels suffer from aging infrastructure.…”