WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following statement was issued by Janis Searles Jones (@InVeritas_Jones), CEO of Ocean Conservancy:

“The Biden Administration’s nominee for Commerce Secretary must be someone who will bring additional strengths to the Administration’s climate agenda. The Secretary of Commerce has direct oversight of NOAA – our nation’s premier ocean agency and one that will play a key role in the Administration’s climate agenda. We need leadership that will rely on science and evidence-based knowledge to protect ocean ecosystems and coastal communities, with an emphasis on environmental justice and strengthen ocean observations and weather forecasting to help us respond effectively as climate change continues to worsen.”