MIAMI — August 4, 2012 — A South Florida congresswoman says the government's plan to end manned ocean exploration will cause "irreparable damage to vital ocean investigations."
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., met with the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week to discuss funding options for the Aquarius Reef Base. The undersea lab in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has allowed scientists to live and work underwater for days at a time.
After meeting with NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ros-Lehtinen said neither the agency's nor the White House's budgets include funding for Aquarius.
Ros-Lehtinen said remote research takes the humanity out of science. But she also said she was encouraged that Lubchenco will explore other funding for Aquarius.
A private foundation also is raising money to keep the lab running.
Read the full story by the Associated Press in the Miami Herald