Ashley Siefert Nunes
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump has nominated meteorologist Dr. Neil Jacobs to serve as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency which operates under the Department of Commerce and is tasked with gathering, sharing and using the latest scientific data and analytic tools to understand and predict climate and extreme weather impacts. In addition to providing vital, lifesaving information, the agency oversees fisheries management and supports marine commerce. NOAA also has one of the strongest scientific integrity policies in the federal government. Dr. Jacobs served as acting NOAA administrator during President Trump’s first term in office and was at the center of the infamous “Sharpiegate” scandal.
Below is a statement by Dr. Rachel Cleetus, the policy director for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
“While Dr. Jacobs has relevant expertise and credentials, he has already proven he’s unfit to lead NOAA by failing to uphold scientific integrity at the agency. In his first stint as acting NOAA administrator, he made false statements about hurricane forecasting for political gain. The ‘Sharpiegate’ scandal instigated by Dr. Jacobs and President Trump endangered the lives of millions of people along the Gulf of Mexico by disseminating confusing and inaccurate information that contradicted the agency’s own scientists on the projected trajectory of Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
“The NOAA administrator’s role comes with the great responsibility of leading one of the primary science agencies in the federal government, providing data and analysis used daily by the public, local and state governments, emergency responders, and the private sector. Communities across the United States are already struggling to withstand and respond to extreme weather events supercharged by worsening climate change. If the data used to help protect people and the economy becomes less reliable the result will be very real harm to everyone, especially those on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Likewise, should NOAA scientists be silenced or their work interfered with and politicized the outcome will be nothing short of disastrous for people in the United States.
“No other institution has the mandate or tools at the ready to produce the long-term atmospheric and oceanic scientific data that NOAA routinely and freely provides for the public good. For example, the agency offers the underlying weather and climate data used by TV forecasters and private companies, coastal sea level rise rates and high-tide flooding projections used by city and state planners, and real-time satellite data used by emergency crews battling wildfires. People across the country depend on this agency, whether they realize it or not.
“If he is to be confirmed as NOAA administrator, Dr. Jacobs must commit to upholding NOAA’s scientific integrity policy and standing up to any attempt to dismantle NOAA or commercialize its forecasting work, which proponents of Project 2025 have called for. From forecasting heat waves and hurricanes to conducting long-term assessments analyzing how the climate is changing, these data save lives and property while also helping to protect the U.S. economy. Privatizing key NOAA data will create public accessibility barriers for those without significant monetary means, imperiling the agency’s vital role as a provider of free, comprehensive data for first responders, decision makers, community planners, researchers, businesses and the public.”
UCS will be following the confirmation process for Dr. Jacobs closely to see if he adequately addresses his past failures and clearly explains how he intends to uphold NOAA’s mandate and rigorously implement the agency’s scientific integrity policy, including in the face of political attacks from the president and others in the administration.
Additional UCS Resources:
- The blogpost “We Need a Strong and Independent NOAA to Protect Our Lives and Homes from Climate Change.”
- The blogpost “What the U.S. Needs from a New NOAA Administrator (Science, Please).”
- The blogpost “New Emails Show Acting Administrator Neil Jacobs is Unfit to Lead NOAA.”
Contact UCS Climate and Energy Media Manager Ashley Siefert Nunes to speak with Dr. Cleetus or another UCS expert. English- and Spanish-speaking experts are available for interviews.