As far as I can tell, reading between the lines, it seems the main reason they object is because he is icky. What a surprise, it’s from Grijalva.
Excerpt:
Dear Dr. Jacobs:
We are writing to raise concern about the irresponsible installation of Dr. David Legates as the new Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction. Dr. Legates’ continued denial of human-driven climate change and its devastating impacts degrades the scientific integrity and derails the mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
With the daily realities we face as a country and global community, it is shameful that such a thing as a “climate denier” still exists and extremely problematic that one be appointed to a prominent position in NOAA.
Dr. Legates has testified before our Committee downplaying or downright refuting the anthropogenic drivers of our current climate crisis. He stated: “Climate has always changed, and weather is always variable due to complex, powerful natural forces. No efforts to stabilize the climate can possibly be successful.” He went on: “…transition[ing] from fossil fuels to so called clean energy to protect us from climate change is a recipe for personal and economic disaster that will have virtually no impact on the Earth’s climate.” NOAA’s own data, compiled over the 50 years of the agency’s existence, points to exactly the opposite. Specifically, the third National Climate Assessment coauthored by NOAA stated “Global climate is changing, and this is apparent across the United States in a wide range of observations. The global warming of the past 50 years is primarily due to human activities, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels.”1 Furthermore, the increase in frequency and severity of extreme events that are exacerbated by climate change are well-documented, particularly by NOAA.
2 Nowhere is the connection between human-driven climate change and extreme climate events more clearly exemplified than the current fire and
drought conditions in the West, and the hurricanes and flooding in the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico.
Dr. Legates’ appointment is an extreme risk to the American public and an insult to the quality science and scientists at NOAA.
Full letter at link below.
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