[Terr_]

Which part? I interpret it as:

1. The temporary situation (private copy with donations) is not sustainable.

2. The activity is within the proper role of the US federal government.

3. It gives diffuse public-benefits, which should be funded normally, rather than rely on concentrated private donations.

Disseminating the collected data publicly is not only a moral imperative--we already paid for it!--it's also how one maximizes the overall return on investment.

[bruckie]

I suspect the intent is to minimize return on investment. The returns from climate data are returns that the current administration does not want.