A pair of Democrats on the House Science Committee have called for Conrad Lautenbacher, administrator of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to be fired due to problems with a U.S. government weather satellite program.

Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) and David Wu (D-Ore.), ranking member on the Environment, Technology and Standards subcommittee, also want John Kelly Jr., deputy undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to be removed due to cost overruns and schedule delays on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program.

NPOESS, initiated in 1994, is designed to combine separate weather satellite programs operated by the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Defense. The program, which also is being overseen by NASA, is $7 billion over budget and launch of the first spacecraft is three years behind schedule.

The Department of Commerce Inspector General issued a report late last week critical of the program’s oversight, and lawmakers.

“We passionately believe that public service should require competence and personal accountability,” the lawmakers said in a letter to President Bush. “At NOAA, the evidence is in that a monumental failure of leadership and management has occurred. We urge you to immediately intervene and replace Admiral Lautenbacher and General Kelly, holding them accountable for the dismal failure at NOAA.”