Current:Home > InvestNorth Carolina Gov. Cooper’s second-term environmental secretary is leaving the job-LoTradeCoin
North Carolina Gov. Cooper’s second-term environmental secretary is leaving the job
View Date:2024-12-25 00:07:00
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s environmental secretary for over three years is stepping down before Cooper’s second term ends and is being replaced by a veteran state government administrator.
Elizabeth Biser, who was named to the Cabinet secretary post by Cooper in June 2021, is leaving her job leading the Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, to “pursue opportunities in the private sector,” a Cooper news release said Thursday.
Biser’s successor will be Mary Penny Kelley, who becomes secretary effective Tuesday, Cooper’s office said.
Kelley is an attorney who now works as the special adviser to the governor’s Hometown Strong program, which is centered on helping rural areas. Her government work history includes holding positions as a senior advisor at DEQ and as deputy secretary at its predecessor agency, the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.
Biser was Cooper’s choice as secretary when state Senate Republicans declined to confirm the governor’s appointment of Dionne Delli-Gatti to succeed first-term Secretary Michael Regan when he became President Joe Biden’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator.
Biser’s time as secretary was marked largely by the implementation of policies to reduce a broad category of “forever chemicals” commonly known as PFAS found in North Carolina water sources and to provide for remediation. EPA has announced new limits for these chemicals, which with exposure are associated with a wide range of health harms.
Biser had expressed frustration in recent months with the state Environmental Management Commission declining to advance proposed rules to restrict industrial releases of some of these “forever chemicals” into drinking water supplies.
Biser also served recently as president of the Environmental Council of the States, composed of state and territorial environmental agency leaders.
Cooper said he appreciated Biser’s service as secretary “and her work to help make North Carolina a leader in the fight against PFAS and other harmful forever chemicals.” He also said Kelley’s “long career in environmental law and experience within DEQ make her the right person to lead the department and continue to work to protect North Carolina’s air and water.”
Cooper, a Democrat, is term-limited from serving beyond the end of the year. It wasn’t immediately clear if Kelley would be subject to a Senate confirmation process before Cooper leaves office.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Halle Berry Rocks Sheer Dress She Wore to 2002 Oscars 22 Years Later
- Tunisia says 13 migrants from Sudan killed, 27 missing after boat made of scrap metal sinks off coast
- City drops charges against pastor as sides negotiate over Ohio church’s 24/7 ministry
- Investigators focus on suspect in Philadelphia area fire and shooting that left 6 dead, 2 hurt
- Man waives jury trial in killing of Georgia nursing student
- 56 years after death, Tennessee folk hero Buford Pusser's wife Pauline Pusser exhumed
- Military names 5 Marines killed in helicopter crash in California mountains. All were in their 20s.
- Dartmouth men’s basketball team will hold union vote on March 5
- Mother of Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym Details His Final Moments
- The Daily Money: How to file taxes free
Ranking
- Powell says Fed will likely cut rates cautiously given persistent inflation pressures
- 2 more women accuse Jonathan Majors of physical, emotional abuse in new report
- Feds offer up to $10 million reward for info on Hive ransomware hackers
- LA Dodgers embrace insane expectations, 'target on our back' as spring training begins
- Watch as dust storm that caused 20-car pileup whips through central California
- Q&A: New Rules in Pennsylvania Require Drillers to Disclose Toxic Chemicals Used in Fracking
- Republican lawmakers are backing dozens of bills targeting diversity efforts on campus and elsewhere
- Jury convicts northern Michigan man in murders of teen and woman
Recommendation
-
Brianna LaPaglia Reacts to Rumors Dave Portnoy Paid Her $10 Million for a Zach Bryan Tell-All
-
How One of the Nation’s Fastest Growing Counties Plans to Find Water in the Desert
-
Christian Siriano taps Ashlee Simpson, this 'Succession' star for NYFW show at The Plaza
-
A 200-foot radio tower in Alabama is reportedly stolen. The crime has police baffled.
-
Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Pick, Brings a Moderate Face to a Radical Game Plan
-
Ex-TV news reporter is running as a Republican for Bob Menendez’s Senate seat in New Jersey
-
Ban lifted on book displays celebrating Black history, Pride Month in SW Louisiana city
-
Colin Jost revealed as headliner for the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner