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North Carolina environmental chief moves to block his own removal by new governor
Maybe the new Governor can put him in a rowboat and have him collect samples in the hog waste ponds?
https://thinkprogress.org/nc-regulator-holds-on-for-one-more-term-f51d19031827#.hjw18x4ig
A top state environmental regulator who has urged Trump to rein in the EPA and has been criticized for his lenient treatment of polluters, stepped down over the holidays — giving himself a staff position that will be protected under the new North Carolina administration.
Donald van der Vaar, former Secretary of the North Carolina State Department of Environmental Quality, will be an environmental program manager, the News and Record (Greensboro, NC) reported, a position that enjoys normal employee protections and is not subject to gubernatorial appointment.
Donald van der Vaar, former Secretary of the North Carolina State Department of Environmental Quality, will be an environmental program manager, the News and Record (Greensboro, NC) reported, a position that enjoys normal employee protections and is not subject to gubernatorial appointment.
--snip--
Under Van der Vaart and McCrory, the agency has been criticized for protecting Duke Energy, the state’s largest utility, where McCrory spent decades of his career. Duke has numerous environmental violation for its storage of coal ash, including ongoing leaks, a massive 2014 spill, and drinking water contamination.
In addition, Van der Vaart has made a name for himself as an opponent of the federal EPA, sending a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in December, calling on him to give states the power to not enforce environmental regulations. (The federal Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act set baseline environmental protections. State agencies are largely tasked with ensuring those regulations are met, although many states have their own laws that go even further.)
In addition, Van der Vaart has made a name for himself as an opponent of the federal EPA, sending a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in December, calling on him to give states the power to not enforce environmental regulations. (The federal Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act set baseline environmental protections. State agencies are largely tasked with ensuring those regulations are met, although many states have their own laws that go even further.)
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