Update on March 19 at 3:20 pm: The listing for a lease matching the description of NOAA’s Radar Operations Center in Norman was removed from the Department of Government Efficiency's website late Tuesday or Wednesday.
Amid deadly wildfires across the state, questions about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) future in Oklahoma have increased following news of a building targeted by the Trump administration’s federal cuts. The federal agency, which includes the National Weather Service, is responsible for daily forecasts, research and decades of weather and climate data.
In early March, reporter Graycen Wheeler and StateImpact reported that a lease on a building matching the description of NOAA’s Radar Operations Center in Norman was listed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The organization, run by billionaire Elon Musk, aims to close more than 700 leases with federal operations.
The news came days after several NOAA employees, including some with NWS, were fired as part of sweeping cuts to the nation’s federal workforce.
Now, a national outlet speculates another entity is at risk: The Storm Prediction Center in the National Weather Center on the University of Oklahoma campus. The building is owned by the university and NOAA leases about half of it.
An ABC News article published March 18 reported a NOAA spokesperson said the Storm Prediction Center was “in flux.” Yet the building does not match any of the hundreds of leases reported by DOGE.
A spokesperson for NOAA declined to comment on the reports. A statement from OU obtained by StateImpact said "The National Weather Center is nearly 50% occupied by NOAA, and the university has not been contacted regarding a lease termination."
On March 10, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, released a statement claiming to have halted the closure of the National Weather Center.
“After working closely with DOGE and the Administration, I am thrilled to announce that common sense has prevailed, as the National Weather Center in Norman, the Social Security Administration Office in Lawton, and the Indian Health Services Office in Oklahoma City will remain operational in Oklahoma,” he said.
When asked to clarify whether he meant the Radar Operations Center, which is the only NOAA building in Norman on DOGE’s public list, a spokesperson said “those leases will not be terminated.” As of March 18, the listing matching the Radar Operations Center was still listed on the DOGE website.
Graycen Wheeler and Anna Pope contributed to this report.
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