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Nomination of Barry Lee Myers to Be S. HRG. 115–647 NOMINATION OF BARRY LEE MYERS TO BE UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE; AND ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA), DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION NOVEMBER 29, 2017 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 37–230 PDF WASHINGTON : 2019 VerDate Nov 24 2008 07:05 Aug 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\37230.TXT JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Chairman ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi BILL NELSON, Florida, Ranking ROY BLUNT, Missouri MARIA CANTWELL, Washington TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts DEAN HELLER, Nevada CORY BOOKER, New Jersey JAMES INHOFE, Oklahoma TOM UDALL, New Mexico MIKE LEE, Utah GARY PETERS, Michigan RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois CORY GARDNER, Colorado MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire TODD YOUNG, Indiana CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada NICK ROSSI, Staff Director ADRIAN ARNAKIS, Deputy Staff Director JASON VAN BEEK, General Counsel KIM LIPSKY, Democratic Staff Director CHRIS DAY, Democratic Deputy Staff Director RENAE BLACK, Senior Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 07:05 Aug 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\37230.TXT JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on November 29, 2017 ...................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Sullivan ............................................................................... 1 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 3 Letters supporting the nomination of Barry Lee Myers for NOAA Administrator .......................................................................................... 40-75 Statement of Senator Nelson .................................................................................. 4 Opposition letter dated October 12, 2017 to Hon. John Thune and Hon. Bill Nelson from Richard J. Hirn, General Counsel and Legislative Director, National Weather Service Employees Organization .................. 4 Opposition letter dated October 23, 2017 from Center for Biological Diver- sity, Climate Hawks Vote, ClimateTruth.org Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace USA, Hip Hop Caucus, League of Conservation Voters, Marine Conservation Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council, Oceana Pacific Environment, Power Shift Network, and Sierra Club ................................................................................................................ 5 Letter dated November 27, 2017 to Hon. John Thune and Hon. Bill Nelson from Janis Searles Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Ocean Con- servancy ......................................................................................................... 7 Statement of Senator Thune ................................................................................... 75 Statement of Senator Schatz .................................................................................. 77 Statement of Senator Markey ................................................................................. 80 Statement of Senator Hassan ................................................................................. 81 Statement of Senator Cortez Masto ....................................................................... 83 Statement of Senator Inhofe ................................................................................... 85 Statement of Senator Wicker .................................................................................. 87 Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 88 Statement of Senator Cantwell .............................................................................. 89 Statement of Senator Duckworth ........................................................................... 90 Statement of Senator Peters ................................................................................... 92 WITNESSES Hon. Pat Toomey, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania ............................................. 11 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 12 Barry Lee Myers, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmos- phere; and Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion (NOAA), Department of Commerce ............................................................ 13 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 15 Biographical information ................................................................................. 16 APPENDIX Response to written questions submitted to Barry Lee Myers by: Hon. John Thune .............................................................................................. 97 Hon. Roger F. Wicker ....................................................................................... 98 Hon. Dean Heller .............................................................................................. 98 Hon. Shelley Moore Capito .............................................................................. 99 Hon. Bill Nelson ............................................................................................... 99 Hon. Maria Cantwell ........................................................................................ 105 Hon. Amy Klobuchar ........................................................................................ 110 Hon. Richard Blumenthal ................................................................................ 111 Hon. Brian Schatz ............................................................................................ 116 Hon. Edward Markey ....................................................................................... 117 Hon. Cory Booker ............................................................................................. 118 Hon. Tom Udall ................................................................................................ 119 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 07:05 Aug 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\37230.TXT JACKIE IV Page Response to written questions submitted to Barry Lee Myers by—Continued Hon. Gary Peters .............................................................................................. 120 Hon. Maggie Hassan ........................................................................................ 123 Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto .......................................................................... 124 VerDate Nov 24 2008 07:05 Aug 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\37230.TXT JACKIE NOMINATION OF BARRY LEE MYERS TO BE UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE; AND ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA), DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:39 a.m. in room SR–253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Dan Sullivan, pre- siding. Present: Senators Thune [presiding], Sullivan, Wicker, Inhofe, Young, Nelson, Cantwell, Schatz, Blumenthal, Markey, Udall, Booker, Duckworth, Peters, and Cortez Masto. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA Senator SULLIVAN. The hearing will come to order. Good morning. Today we will consider the nomination of Barry Lee Myers to serve in the important position of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. If confirmed, Mr. Myers would serve as the Administrator of the National Ocean and At- mospheric Administration, commonly known as NOAA, under the Department of Commerce, and oversee what some describe as our Nation’s environmental intelligence agency. Thank you, Mr. Myers, as well as your family for your willing- ness to serve our Nation. NOAA has a vital mission that protects life, property, and com- merce through environmental science and observation from the sun down to the depths of the ocean. NOAA provides the American peo- ple with daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, fisheries science and management, and ocean mapping and science. In my home State of Alaska, we are particularly dependent upon NOAA’s services. Alaska is the super power of seafood, as I have mentioned to many of my colleagues here, accounting for almost 60 percent of all domestic landings and more than 600,000 jobs, mak- ing the fishery industry our largest private employer, more than oil and gas. NOAA is the agency responsible for oversight of America’s fish- eries, and I will be among those working closely with the Under (1) VerDate Nov 24 2008 07:05 Aug 06, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\GPO\DOCS\37230.TXT JACKIE 2 Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to ensure a continuing bright future for this very important segment of the U.S. economy.
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