Last month, Sen. Ossoff pressed Trump Admin’s Interior Secretary to reverse planned closure of USGS office [hearing video footage here]
Norcross, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff successfully pressured the Trump Administration to protect a key Georgia water quality office in Norcross.
Earlier this year, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock demanded answers from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) about impacts on water quality and supply following the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) apparent decision to terminate the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Water Science Center’s lease in Norcross, Georgia.
The USGS facility regularly tests water quality to help ensure the safety of Georgians’ drinking water and maintains water gages that are used by local officials across the State to ensure enough water is provided to millions of Georgians every day.
Now, following the pressure from Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock, DOI has reversed the termination.
“In some cases, the Department took action to reverse a termination due to the critical nature of the mission, unavailability of alternative, cost-effective solutions, or the specialized nature of the facility,” Acting Assistant Secretary Tyler Hassen wrote to Sen. Ossoff. “You will be pleased to know that the GSA rescinded the termination of the USGS lease in Norcross, Georgia.”
“Staff at the Water Sciences Center perform water quality testing to ensure the safety of drinking water and maintain water gauges across Georgia, including Lake Sidney Lanier and on the Chattahoochee River, which supplies most of metro Atlanta’s drinking water,” Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock wrote to Interior Secretary Burgum in April. “Local officials in metro Atlanta rely on gauges at Lake Lanier to ensure enough water is drawn from the lake to provide water to millions of Georgians every day. These gauges also inform water flows for Georgia’s agriculture industry, nuclear reactors across the state, and Department of Defense installations, among others.”
Last month, in a U.S. Senate Appropriations hearing, Sen. Ossoff pressed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for answers about the apparent decision to terminate the lease.
Click here to read the Interior Department’s letter to Sen. Ossoff.
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