Audit finds contract problems at NOAA

cnn.com ^ | 5/28/12 | Tom Cohen

[ColdOne]

Washington (CNN) -- The director of the National Weather Service announced his sudden retirement last week after an audit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that found $43.8 million in performance awards to contractors granted without proper justification.

Jack Hayes, a veteran meteorologist who headed the weather service since 2007, announced his retirement Friday and will be succeeded by an acting assistant administrator Tuesday, according to a statement by Jane Lubchenco, the undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere who also is NOAA administrator.

The weather service is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lubchenco's statement made no mention of the May 18 audit report that said nine NOAA contracts lacked sufficient supporting information or were too subjective in granting performance awards, providing "little incentive for contractors to excel."

Some of the contracts cited by the audit involved the National Weather Service. The audit report was by the inspector general's office of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

[ColdOne]

Who would have thought a government agency being corrupt!

yeah **major dripping sarc**

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks ColdOne.

[UCANSEE2]

“little incentive for contractors to excel.”

Yeah... but millions of dollars of incentive to ‘lie’.

[gov_bean_ counter]

The corruption is everywhere.

Two Atlantic storms so far this year that 20 years ago would have NEVER been named. The National Hurricane Center pursuing a political agenda to artificially inflate the number of named storms.

[Foolsgold]

Is this ***HOLE A recipient ?

The letter has done nothing to stop the efforts of NASA’s most notorious global warming activist, James Hansen, director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a division of NASA.

[upchuck]

I'm sitting here in Aiken County, SC. The leading edge of Beryl, currently centered over Gainsville, FL, is dropping rain drops outside. Pretty mind compared to some of the gully washers we can get.

You're right, this should never have gotten a name. What a shame that the weather has been politicized.