"One of the transition team's top candidates to lead either NOAA or NASA doesn't want the job, and another contender for NOAA chief is married to President-elect Joe Biden's chief of staff.

But there are more — a lot more — people out there competing for a range of climate science positions at NASA, NOAA and elsewhere, sources said. So much so that one observer warned that Biden could be dissuaded from picking a climate hawk for his top science adviser position because there might be "too many cooks in the kitchen."

Transition discussions have centered around a few key candidates, some who would be new to Washington while others are Obama administration veterans, according to multiple sources who spoke on background because they were not authorized to talk on the record.

J. Marshall Shepherd, chair of NASA's Earth Science Advisory Committee, has been mentioned frequently as a possibility for NOAA administrator, which The Washington Post first reported. He is also being discussed as a possible head for NASA."

Scott Waldman reports for E&E News December 10, 2020. [2]