The head of the National Weather Service retired on Tuesday following an investigation that staff improperly redirected millions of dollars in budget resources to different accounts without congressional approval.
Jack Hayes stepped down on Friday, according to a note he sent out to staff members. He did not mention anything about the controversy, according to the Federal Times.
The investigation found that the money was not used for personal gain or for fraud but it “does not excuse, or reduce the seriousness of the employees’ actions,” Jane Lubchenco, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the National Weather Service, was quoted as saying.
The Service “operated with an unacceptable lack of transparency,” she added.
After the investigation, the agency asked Congress if it could relocate $36 million in its total spending for 2012 to local forecasting and equipment upgrades, reported Reuters, citing NOAA spokesperson Scott Smullen.
The investigation’s findings showed that weather forecasts and other services provided by the agency were not at risk, according to Reuters.
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