By Alex Paul
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:00 am
Lubchenco is first woman to head the climate, oceans agency
Jane Lubchenco, a distinguished professor of zoology at Oregon State University, received Senate confirmation on Thursday as the new administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Lubchenco was nominated by President Barack Obama in December. She becomes the first woman to head NOAA, which oversees oceanic and atmospheric research, as well as the National Weather Service.
"Jane will be an excellent administrator of NOAA," said John Byrne, former OSU president and NOAA administrator from 1981-84. "Her knowledge and wisdom concerning the environment and her experience with major national and international scientific groups will serve her well as she moves the president's and her agenda forward to benefit the environment and consequently all people living on this planet."
Byrne added that Lubchenco will "face political, scientific and budgetary challenges, but I am convinced she will handle them well. The United States will benefit from having Jane Lubchenco as administrator of NOAA."
Sen. John D. Rockefeller of West Virginia, the chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, commended President Obama for "nominating individuals who are committed to the advancement of scientific research and knowledge. It is time to take science out of the laboratory and into our communities in order to help people understand how science impacts their everyday lives - from clean air and water to fixing our rapidly declining economy."
The Senate also confirmed Thursday the nomination of Dr. John Holdren, a Harvard University physicist, who will head the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
In addition to her administrative duties, Lubchenco will provide advice on marine and climate issues to the president and the secretary of commerce.
Echoing Obama's recent remarks on federal funding for stem cell research, Lubchenco said science, not politics, will guide the agency as it confronts global warming, declining fisheries and forecasting natural disasters, The Associated Press reported.
"This is a new era," she said. "Many issues will be seen through a different lens."
NOAA oversees ocean and atmospheric research and the National Weather Service. One of its divisions, NOAA Fisheries Service, oversees the protection and restoration of threatened and endangered marine species such as whales, salmon and sea turtles.
Lubchenco expects her agency, which is part of the Commerce Department, to play a role in creating jobs in coastal areas, where half the county's population lives, and developing a green economy that reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases.
"It is important to emphasize that jobs and a healthy environment go hand in hand," she told The Associated Press. "That's true on land and true in the ocean. As we think about recovering the economy, creating jobs, one key to doing that is to have jobs that are green jobs and jobs that are working toward a healthy environment.
"I think we can revive our fisheries, and the economies and communities that they support. I think we can improve weather forecasting and disaster warnings. I think we can provide credible information about climate change and ocean acidification to the country. And I think we can protect and restore our coastal ecosystems."
Lubchenco holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Colorado College, a master's degree in zoology from the University of Washington, and a doctorate in marine ecology from Harvard University. She taught at Harvard for two years, then joined the OSU staff in 1978.
She has earned numerous awards as an outspoken champion of the environment, including the MacArthur Fellowship, a Pew Fellowship, eight honorary degrees, the 2002 Heinz Award in the Environment, the 2003 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest and the 2004 Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences.
Lubchenco was chosen by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to co-chair the state's advisory group on global warming. Lubchenco is a staunch supporter of protecting marine ecosystems and was often at odds with the Bush administration's environmental programs.
In 2008, Lubchenco received the Zayed International Prize for the Environment. She shared the award with V. Ramanathan, an atmospheric scientist from India. They split $300,000 and each received a trophy and diploma. The presentation was made in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Lubchenco's work was recognized for a "discovery of fundamental ecological and evolutionary relationship among animals and plants in complex coastal ecosystems."
She is past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is co-founder of Climate Central, a Web site that provides information and analysis on global warming for journalists, business, government and religious leaders.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.