For the past two years, Donald Trump has been trying to install former AccuWeather CEO, Barry Lee Myers, as the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA oversees a number of critical government functions, like stewardship over U.S. coastal and marine environments, and the National Weather Service (NWS), which is where Myers’s interest in leading NOAA becomes relevant.
NWS creates almost all of the raw weather forecast data that private companies like AccuWeather repackage and sell to businesses and consumers. Today, you can go to the National Weather Service website and get a forecast that is just as good as what AccuWeather or the Weather Channel will give you. And you should use the NWS’s services—after all you’re paying for their satellites, radar systems, and meteorologists with your tax dollars.
Now, Myers will claim that he has no conflict of interest; he’s resigned as CEO of AccuWeather and sold all of his shares in the company…But AccuWeather is a family company, and Myers’s brother Joel remains the President and Chairman of the firm.
Barry Lee Myers doesn’t like to have competition, and he’s made no secret of his desire to privatize the works of the NWS—at least for consumers. Myers’s family at AccuWeather, and other business owners, would still be able to get access to all of this data that YOU are paying to have created. Furthermore, privatizing severe weather forecasts will almost certainly result in the unnecessary deaths of Americans. This is flatly unacceptable.
Myers’s nomination to lead NOAA passed a commitee vote on April 3 along party lines, and a date for a floor vote has not yet been set, but we can assume it’s coming soon. Senator Cantwell has already spoken out strongly against Myers’s nomination, saying: “Barry Myers, the nominee to lead NOAA, has been steadfastly and publicly committed to dismantling the agency he was supposed to lead. That, in my mind, represents a challenge and a conflict.”
Today’s Action: Tell our Senators to say “NO” on Myers
Call both Senators:
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Senator Patty Murray: DC – 202-224-2621 Seattle – 206-553-5545
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Senator Maria Cantwell: DC – 202-224-3441 Seattle – 206-220-6400
Sample script:
“Hi, my name is {NAME}, and I’m calling from {CITY, ZIP} to ask the Senator to confirm that they will vote against the confirmation of Barry Myers to lead NOAA. Myers is too conflicted to run the agency, and the privatization of weather data that I, as a taxpayer, help pay for is unacceptable to me. Please ask the Senator to fight hard against this confirmation.”
Background
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“Senate Committee OK’s White House’s NOAA Pick in Party Line Vote” – https://eos.org/articles/senate-committee-oks-white-houses-noaa-pick-in-party-line-vote
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“Ethics experts sound alarm over confirmation process of Trump’s pick to lead NOAA” – https://thinkprogress.org/barry-myers-trump-accuweather-noaa-9702aad73651/
Events
Jayapal Town Hall
Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
University of Washington
South Ballroom, HUB, 4001 E Stevens Way
