Senators press Congress and NOAA to repair Alaska weather buoys after repeated outages

Juneau, March 20, 2025 — Sen. Forrest Dunbar introduced Senate Joint Resolution 12 to the Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday, asking Congress and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to restore reliability to the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC)'s weather buoys serving Alaska, with particular concern about the Seal Rocks buoy in Prince William Sound.

The resolution asks federal leaders to prioritize maintenance of NOAA buoys and weather stations in Alaska, which Dunbar and others said provide real-time data used by mariners, the U.S. Coast Guard and local communities. "These buoys provide precise real time information on a comprehensive set of weather conditions," Dunbar told the committee. He said the data are relied on by mariners, fishermen and the Coast Guard to assess ocean conditions.

Why it matters: Witnesses said outages at the Seal Rocks buoy remove a key objective data source used to decide when to close the Hinchinbrook entrance to laden tankers departing Valdez. John Guthrie of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council told the committee the Seal Rocks buoy has been operational for only about 35 days over the last 18 months, and that current Coast Guard closure criteria close Hinchinbrook when wind speeds exceed 45 knots or wave heights exceed 15 feet. Guthrie said that when the buoy is out of service, the Coast Guard must rely on more subjective sources — distant buoys, forecasts and ship reports — complicating decisions that are meant to prevent tanker groundings and oil spills.

Committee testimony and technical details: "Weather information at remote locations is critical to the safe transportation of oil in our region," John Guthrie testified. He described the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council as a federally mandated nonprofit focused on safe operation of the Alyeska pipeline and Valdez Marine Terminal and said the Seal Rocks buoy connects Prince William Sound with the Gulf of Alaska. Guthrie told the committee that the Seal Rocks buoy's wave-height instrument has been out of service through the winter and that the buoy failed for all of last winter.

Committee members pressed witnesses on maintenance logistics and costs. Guthrie said the NDBC typically funds the stations but sometimes relies on the Coast Guard buoy tender based in Cordova for deployment and servicing, and at other times must charter vessels. Guthrie noted that the council submitted an appropriations request with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's office seeking funding for NDBC service in Alaska.

Committee response and next steps: Senators on the panel framed the outage problem as a statewide life-safety issue, not only a Prince William Sound concern. Senator Kiel noted the importance of buoy reports to commercial and recreational mariners across the state. Dunbar said the resolution is written broadly for Alaska but focuses on buoys that affect oil transportation safety.

Formal committee action: The committee accepted a committee substitute for SJR 12 as the working document by unanimous consent; the substitute will be the version the committee considers going forward.

The committee did not take a final vote on the resolution at the hearing. The resolution record shows invited testimony and committee discussion; committee members asked the sponsor to coordinate with the state's federal delegation and with local stakeholders about funding and maintenance options.

Ending: The committee recessed after the hearing and moved to the next agenda item. The record of testimony and the working document will remain available to committee staff as they consider language for a future formal committee action.