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The Hill
25-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
NOAA places two high-ranking officials on leave
The Trump administration has placed two high-ranking officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on leave amid a series of efforts to make cuts at the agency. NOAA spokesperson Kim Doster confirmed in an email that deputy general counsel Jeff Dillen and acting assistant secretary Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, were placed on administrative leave. CNN, which first reported the news, also reported that the duo led the investigation into the 'Sharpiegate' scandal, which is when NOAA released a statement rebuking a weather service office social media post that contradicted President Trump about the path of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. However, Doster said that the decision to place the officials on leave was not related to the investigation. Instead, she said that Dillen was placed on leave 'pending a review of performance issues over the past several weeks.' She did not say what the alleged issues were. She said that Volz was placed on leave 'on an unrelated matter,' but did not specify what it was. The move comes a few weeks after the confirmation hearing of Neil Jacobs to lead the agency. Jacobs also led NOAA under the last Trump administration, including during the 'Sharpiegate' scandal. A 2020 report on the incident found that Jacobs violated NOAA's Scientific Integrity Policy. Jacobs told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that 'there's probably some things I would do differently' in regards to the incident.
NBC News
25-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Two high-ranking NOAA employees connected to 'Sharpiegate' incident put on leave
Two top National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials who both played a role in the high-profile 'Sharpiegate' investigation at the agency were placed on administrative leave this week. Steve Volz, the assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, and Jeff Dillen, a deputy general counsel at NOAA, were placed on leave Thursday morning, Volz told NBC News. Volz and Dillen were figures in a controversy during the first Trump presidency that came to be known as ' Sharpiegate,' in which forecasters were rebuked for contradicting the president over a crude alteration to a hurricane map. NOAA confirmed Friday that the two men had been placed on leave. 'Mr. Dillen was placed on administrative leave by the department's senior career attorney pending a review of performance issues over the past several weeks,' NOAA Communications director Kim Doster said in an emailed statement. 'Separately, Dr. Volz was placed on administrative leave on an unrelated matter.' When reached by phone, Dillen declined to comment. The high-profile move comes at a tenuous time for NOAA, which is down hundreds of employees after staffing cuts and voluntary buyouts implemented by the Trump administration. The staffing and performance of the National Weather Service, which is part of NOAA, have been under intense scrutiny after recent extreme weather events, including the central Texas flooding tragedy. The agency is without a leader as President Donald Trump's nominee, Neil Jacobs, awaits confirmation by the Senate. NOAA's spending is also under close review. The Trump administration has proposed deep cuts to the agency's budget, though Congress has signaled it won't implement such severe budget restrictions. The news that Volz and Dillen were placed on leave was first reported by CNN. It's not clear exactly why the two top NOAA leaders were placed on leave. In an interview, Volz said he received the news on Thursday morning in a letter from Laura Grimm, the acting administrator of NOAA. 'The letter itself gave no information about the cause. It said, 'You are on administrative leave pending an investigation into your recent public conduct,'' Volz said on Friday, adding that he had 'no idea' what was being investigated. He said part of his job is to speak at public events, and he recently took part in a press conference at a satellite launch in Japan, among other events. Volz, who has worked in public service for 36 years, said he had not changed his approach to media or public speaking since the new administration took over. 'I give public comments on a routine basis and I've done that my entire time at NOAA. I haven't adjusted that. I'm cautious about my personal opinions,' Volz said. 'I have not been reticent about communicating the work we do and the challenging circumstances we're under. That's probably more out front than many other people in similar positions at NOAA.' Both Volz and Dillen played roles in the aftermath of the 'Sharpiegate' incident in 2019. At the time, President Trump incorrectly said Hurricane Dorian could strike Alabama. But, the local weather forecasting office in Birmingham, Alabama, denied the state was at risk. Trump then showed reporters an altered hurricane path marked with a black Sharpie. Later, top NOAA officials rebuked the local forecasters amid perceived political pressure. After the event, NOAA hired the National Academy of Public Administration to perform an independent assessment into allegations of scientific misconduct during the incident. The investigation found that Jacobs violated NOAA's ethics policies. Volz authored a final decision about the report for NOAA, which agreed with NAPA's findings. He said Dillen worked on that document also. Volz said he did not know whether notices that they'd both been put on leave on the same day and their connection to the 'Sharpiegate' report was a coincidence. 'Jeff was the legal counsel. I was the senior official reading through the NAPA report and writing up our own determination memo, which found fault with two officials inside NOAA, including Neil Jacobs,' Volz said. 'It's not lost on me Jeff and I were both given admin leave on the same day and Neil Jacobs is going through hearings now and getting ready to be voted on by the Senate.' NOAA did not directly comment about whether the 'Sharpiegate' investigation played any role in its decisions. Volz said he remains a NOAA employee, but has no access to federal facilities and his email is 'locked.' He said he was not sure what his next steps would be. 'I love the work I do at NOAA,' Volz said. 'I'm not ready to walk quietly into the sunset, that's for sure.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The newest GOES weather satellite in NOAA's fleet is now fully operational (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The final satellite in NOAA's GOES-R weather satellite series has a new place in orbit … and a new name. The GOES-19 weather satellite, which launched into orbit in June 2024, has officially taken the place of its predecessor GOES-16 to watch over the Western Hemisphere from its perch 22,236 miles (35,785 kilometers) above us. To mark the milestone, the satellite has the new name of GOES East to serve as the dominant geostationary satellite in the fleet, NOAA officials said in a statement. "With GOES-19 now in operation, NOAA has delivered the full fleet of GOES-R satellites to orbit, providing the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to help forecast weather on Earth," said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, in the statement. "GOES-19 supports NOAA's mission to provide secure and timely access to global environmental data and information to promote and protect the nation's security, environment, economy and quality of life." As GOES East, the satellite will be responsible for keeping a watchful eye on tropical development in the Atlantic Ocean, and monitor weather such as severe storms, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers. Just like its siblings, GOES-19 is equipped with technology to produce high-resolution imagery, take measurements of the atmosphere, and track the location and intensity of lightning in real-time. If that's not exciting enough for scientists, this satellite also hosts NOAA's first compact coronagraph instrument (CCOR-1), monitoring the sun's activity. "CCOR-1 is a game-changer for ensuring our nation is resilient to solar storms, monitoring massive eruptions of energy from the sun in real time," Clinton Wallace, director of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, said in the statement. "With dramatically improved resolution and faster detection, it helps us better predict dangerous space weather that can impact satellites, GPS, astronaut safety, aviation and power grids, ensuring we can protect critical technology and infrastructure like never before."
