"Trump Picks Scientist Involved In ‘Sharpiegate’ Scandal To Lead NOAA"

"President Donald Trump has named Neil Jacobs, a veteran of his first administration, to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

"President Donald Trump has named Neil Jacobs, an atmospheric scientist who was found to have violated scientific integrity policies during the “Sharpiegate” scandal of the first Trump administration, to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Jacobs led NOAA on an acting basis from February 2019 through the end of Trump’s first term, including when the president used a Sharpie marker to alter an official National Hurricane Center map to suggest that Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama and parts of Florida outside its predicted path. In response to concern over the incident, Jacobs in 2019 told a conference of scientists that “weather should not be a partisan issue.”

If confirmed, he would retake the helm of an agency that plays a central role in conducting federal climate research, monitoring and forecasting Earth’s climate and weather, and managing and conserving fisheries. Virtually all trained scientists say there is unequivocal evidence that human consumption of fossil fuels and the greenhouse effect are raising average global temperatures faster than at any time in history, with disastrous consequences for extreme weather, but Trump has labeled climate change a “hoax” and is striving to boost fossil fuel production and use."

Scott Dance reports for the Washington Post February 4, 2025.

SEE ALSO:

"Trump Picks Neil Jacobs To Lead NOAA" (E&E News)

"Trump Rehires Neil Jacobs, Former NOAA Chief Involved in ‘Sharpiegate’" (New York Times)

"Trump Picks Former Chief Entangled In ‘Sharpiegate’ To Lead NOAA" (AP)