President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) vowed to quit his family-run weather forecasting company if he is confirmed to the post, The Hill writes.
Barry Myers, CEO of AccuWeather, told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee he and his spouse are ready to “resign from every company, board, and organization that could be a conflict with my new role” and “sell all of our ownership interests, shares, and options in AccuWeather.”
Critics of Myers have warned that, if confirmed as NOAA chief, he could hurt the National Weather Service, an NOAA agency that serves as competition for private weather forecasting companies such as AccuWeather. The company supported a bill in 2005 that would have rolled back much of the Weather Service’s duties in favor of private sector forecasting firms such as AccuWeather, The Hill adds.
Democrats questioned whether Myers would be truly independent, especially with his family’s other ties to the company, as his brothers are AccuWeather’s majority owners, a son-in-law works for the company and a nephew is on its board.
“With your family connections, your brothers at AccuWeather, obviously there is the concern about potential conflicts of interest. What we need is an NOAA administrator who will do what is the very best for the American people,” Senator Bill Nelson noted.
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