U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated former NOAA Acting Administrator Neil Jacobs to lead the agency once again.
Jacobs was first named acting administrator in 2018 following then-Acting Administrator Timothy Gallaudet’s decision to relinquish the role. While Trump did nominate him to formally lead the agency, his nomination was never approved by the full Senate. Jacobs left the government in 2022.
Then-President Joe Biden replaced Jacobs with Richard Spinrad, who led the agency through the end of the Biden administration.
The Brunswick, Maine, U.S.A.-based Fishing Communities Coalition put out a statement in support of Jacobs’ nomination.
“Dr. Neil Jacobs is a great choice to lead NOAA,” Fishing Communities Coalition Coordinator Noah Oppenheim said in a statement. “Commercial fishing communities need a steady hand at the helm as we face unprecedented infrastructure, market, and regulatory challenges. We need fundamental reforms at NOAA to improve fishery surveys, while keeping the agency’s core weather forecasting functions strong so we can safely and efficiently catch fish to feed Americans.”
The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association also endorsed the nominations.
“Dr. Jacobs has deep knowledge and experience with the agency’s inner workings,” Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Executive Director Ben Martens said. “We look forward to working with him in his role as NOAA Administrator.”
Jacobs made headlines during the first Trump administration while he was acting NOAA chief for his role in “Sharpiegate,” a 2019 incident when Trump a map that had been altered with a Sharpie pen to show a hurricane landfall in Alabama, which did not align with up to date forecasts. When National Weather Service scientists in Alabama released a statement saying that Alabama would not be impacted by the hurricane, NOAA officials chastised them and released a statement supporting the president. A government watchdog report found that Jacobs violated the agency’s code of ethics in succumbing to political pressure during the incident, although Jacobs disputed the report. Jacobs was also criticized for deleting texts related to the incident.
In a statement, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) called Jacobs’ nomination a “threat” to scientific integrity.
“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,” Rachel Cleetus, policy director for the UCS Climate, said in a statement.
In his nomination hearing to lead the Department of Commerce, Wall Street billionaire Howard Lutnick said he had no intention of dismantling NOAA or privatizing its services.
