The under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, or USC(OA), is a high-ranking official in the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bus ...

and the principal advisor to the

United States secretary of commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

on the environmental and scientific activities of the department. The under secretary is dual hatted as the administrator of the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditi ...

within the Commerce Department. The under secretary is appointed by the

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

with the consent of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

to serve at the pleasure of the president. The current under secretary is

Rick Spinrad Richard William Spinrad is an American oceanographer and government official serving as the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He also concurrently serves as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphe ...

. He was nominated by Joe Biden on April 22, 2021, confirmed on June 17th and sworn in on June 22, 2021.

Overview

As the Administrator of the

, the Under Secretary oversees the day-to-day functions of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as laying out its strategic and operational future. Components of the

that the Administrator oversees include the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service,

National Marine Fisheries Service The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), informally known as NOAA Fisheries, is a United States federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that is responsible for the stew ...

National Ocean Service The National Ocean Service (NOS) is an office within the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is responsible for preserving and enhancing the nation's coastal resources and ecosystems along the ...

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...

, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, Marine and Aviation Operations, and the NOAA Corps. With the rank of ''Under Secretary'', the USC(OA) is a Level III position within the Executive Schedule Since January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $165,300. The Under Secretary ranks fifth in the line of succession for the office of Secretary of Commerce.

History

The position of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere was created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Fisheries Program Authorization Act of 1985. The position was created to serve as the Administrator of NOAA. It also created an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to serve as Deputy Administrator of NOAA. William Evans was the first person to have the title of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. The position of Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was created earlier by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970. During the Donald Trump administration, the agency never had a confirmed leader. Trump first nominated former AccuWeather CEO Barry Myers to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on Oct 12, 2017. His nomination was returned to President Trump by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on January 3, 2018, resubmitted on January 8, 2018 returned again on January 3, 2019, and resubmitted again on January 16, 2019. In November 2019, Myers withdrew his nomination, citing health concerns. A month later, Trump nominated Neil Jacobs, then the acting administrator, to be the 11th administrator. Though Jacobs had Senate confirmation hearings in May 2020, he was never confirmed, in part because of the so-called Sharpiegate incident.

Reporting officials

Officials reporting to the USC(OA)/Administrator include: *Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Conservation and Management/Deputy Administrator *Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction/Deputy Administration *NOAA Chief Scientist *Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere *Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Operations *Assistant Administrator,

*Assistant Administrator,

*Assistant Administrator, National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service *Assistant Administrator, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research *Assistant Administrator,

*Assistant Administrator, Program Planning and Integration

Officeholders

From 1970 to 1988, the head of NOAA was the NOAA Administrator. Starting with Bill Evans in 1988, that person held the title of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Under Secretary Of Commerce For Oceans And Atmosphere National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration personnel