Stop NOAA Closures Act
The Stop NOAA Closures Act would create a temporary nationwide moratorium on major actions affecting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facilities. Specifically, it would bar the Secretary of Commerce, NOAA Administrator, or the General Services Administration from closing or suspending leases, ceasing construction, consolidating, or imposing any new access limitations on NOAA facilities, with an emergency exception. The bill also requires the agencies to prepare and submit detailed reports before any future facility action, including criteria for selecting facilities and cost-benefit analyses. The moratorium would end 180 days after a specified joint report is submitted, which cannot occur before January 21, 2029. After the moratorium ends, any future closures or related actions would require a 30-day advance notice to Congress with a justificatory report. The act thus delays or blocks NOAA facility changes for several years and increases congressional oversight and transparency around such decisions.
Key Points
- 1Moratorium on NOAA facility actions: Prohibits closing, suspending, terminating leases, ceasing construction, consolidating, or imposing new access limits on NOAA facilities, with a carve-out for temporary emergency actions to protect health or safety.
- 2Required report before moratorium ends: No sooner than January 21, 2029, a joint report to relevant House and Senate committees must describe the process for selecting facilities for potential action and include a detailed cost-benefit analysis and criteria used (e.g., potential savings, replacement costs for services, impact on NOAA services, and other factors).
- 3Moratorium duration tied to report: The moratorium ends 180 days after the above report is submitted, after which the prohibitions no longer apply.
- 4Pre-closure reporting requirements after moratorium: For any future closure or similar action, agencies must submit a report at least 30 days before the action, outlining and justifying the facility-selection process and including the same types of information required in the initial report (criteria and cost-benefit analysis).
- 5Emergency exception: Temporary actions taken in response to an emergency that poses an immediate health or safety threat remain permitted.
- 6Effective date and sequencing: The stricter reporting and moratorium requirements apply to actions occurring after the moratorium’s end; once the moratorium ends, future actions are subject to the new 30-day reporting rule.