On April 22, President Biden announced his nomination of oceanographer Rick Spinrad to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Spinrad was previously head of NOAA’s research office from 2005 to 2010 and its chief scientist from 2014 through 2016. Between those positions, he was vice president for research at Oregon State University, where he is currently a faculty member and senior advisor.
NOAA has not had a Senate-confirmed leader in more than four years, as neither of President Trump’s two nominees for the role ever received floor votes. Pending his confirmation, Spinrad will take the agency’s helm as it seeks to reinvigorate its role in monitoring and researching changes in the climate. The Biden administration is proposing to increase NOAA’s budget by more than 25% to $6.9 billion in fiscal year 2022, largely to support such efforts.