Distinguished climatologist joins A Better Delaware advisory board

David R. Legates, PhD, has joined the advisory board of A Better Delaware, a nonpartisan public policy and political advocacy organization which supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies, and greater transparency and accountability in Delaware’s state government.

Legates is a retired tenured professor of climatology, geography and spatial sciences in the department of geography at the University of Delaware, and a retired adjunct professor in the department of applied economics and statistics. He has served as research scientist at the Southern Regional Climate Center, chief research scientist at the Center for Computational Geosciences, and visiting research scientist at the National Climatic Data Center. He recently served as executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Legates’ work has been published more than 125 times in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings and monograph series; he has made more than 250 professional presentations. A former Delaware state climatologist, Legates was appointed in September 2020 to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as deputy assistant secretary of commerce for observation and prediction.

Chris Kenny, A Better Delaware chairman and founder, said, “David Legates is a leading voice in the area of climate science who will offer A Better Delaware sound guidance as the First State navigates the many challenges it faces as a coastal state with vast farmlands and open spaces. David understands both the science and the regulatory landscape surrounding issues of safe energy generation, efficient transmission, environmental hazard exposure and climate volatility.”

“I’m honored to join the advisory board of A Better Delaware,” Legates said. “Our state faces a number of challenges in the area of energy production and requires a pragmatic approach that keeps taxpayers and businesses at the forefront. To that end, I’m eager to share my experience to help advocate for responsible policy.”

“Dr. Legates is a welcome addition to our advisory board,” said Kathleen Rutherford, A Better Delaware executive director. “It is imperative that Delaware not follow other states in rapidly moving away from legacy energy production to renewables without adequate intermediate steps. David Legates will guide ABD as we advocate for policy that supports reliable and cost-effective sources of energy for all Delawareans.”

To learn more, go to ABetterDelaware.org.