(Washington, D.C.) -- U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley is celebrating the National Science Foundation's decision to stop dismantling a network of ocean buoys. This, after the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would have forced them to stop. Merkley teamed up with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski to sponsor the bipartisan bill, which would have required the NSF to review and reconsider the status of the system. The buoys are used by fishermen, coastal communities and for fisheries management. Merkley says they'll "keep fighting to ensure scientists, fishermen, and coastal communities can continue to utilize the critical data the OOI provides."