IwanowiczAfter firing Pete Grannis, the former head of the Department of Environmental Conservation, last week, Governor David Paterson has a new man for the job: Peter Iwanowicz. According to a press release issued by the governor's office yesterday, Iwanowicz has been working as the governor's top advisor on environmental issues since March, and will continue to do both jobs without any increase in pay.
Iwanowicz has some impressive credentials: He was the head of the New York State Office of Climate Change during its attempt to regulate carbon dioxide emissions with other states via the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. He has also led the New York chapter of the American Lung Association.
In making the appointment, Paterson hyped Iwanowicz's cap-and-trade carbon credentials but made no mention of gas drilling, the biggest political hot potato in the DEC's lap this year:
"Peter has been an outstanding public servant and an outstanding caretaker of the environment throughout his professional career," Governor Paterson said. "I credit Peter with successfully negotiating a deal on the E-waste law that was passed during this past session, and his expertise on RGGI has helped New York lead the nation on this critical cap and invest program. I know he will bring that same professionalism to DEC."
