This week, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia participated in a nominations hearing for key positions within the Department of Commerce. The hearing was part of her role on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
The nominees included Dr. Neil Jacobs for Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, Taylor Jordan for Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, and Harry Kumar for Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Senator Capito highlighted West Virginia’s contributions to NOAA operations during her questioning. She emphasized the significance of the I-79 tech park in Fairmont, which houses high-performance computers Hera and Raya. “The I-79 tech park in Fairmont is a unique asset for NOAA and the broader adoption of AI,” she stated.
In addition to discussing technological assets, Senator Capito addressed the need to improve weather warning systems nationwide. Reflecting on recent storms in Texas, she expressed concern about community engagement and warning systems. “Community engagement, community warning systems, how can that be improved?” she asked.
Dr. Jacobs responded by underscoring the importance of distributing forecasts effectively. “Even if you have a perfect forecast, if you can’t get the information to the people, it’s totally useless,” he said. He proposed modernizing NOAA Weather Radio as part of an all-encompassing approach to enhance warnings.
