Amanda Lefton testifies in the course of the Senate Vitality and Pure Sources Committee when she was director of the Bureau of Ocean Vitality Administration on Thursday, Could 13, 2021. (Picture By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc through Getty Photographs)
Amanda Lefton, a Queens native who grew up on Lengthy Island and now lives upstate together with her spouse, has been tapped as commissioner of the New York State Division of Environmental Conservation.
Lefton brings a mixture of federal, state, nonprofit and personal sector expertise to the position. She beforehand served as director of the Bureau of Ocean Vitality Administration, the place she developed the federal company’s offshore wind program. Earlier than that she served as the primary assistant secretary for power and setting for New York, the place she led the state’s environmental and local weather initiatives, and labored as deputy director of coverage for The Nature Conservancy in New York. And she or he most just lately was the vp of offshore growth for U.S. East at RWE, a world offshore wind business firm.
“I am honored Governor Hochul has entrusted me to carry out the Department of Environmental Conservation’s critical mission,” Lefton stated. “I am committed to delivering meaningful results to enhance the health and safety of communities all across the state and to protecting our environment and natural resources for future generations.”
As DEC commissioner, she is going to oversee the state company with a $2.5 billion price range and workers of greater than 3,000 that manages 5 million acres of public lands, regulates pure sources, responds to chemical spills, and enforces the state’s environmental legal guidelines, amongst different duties.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who introduced Lefton’s nomination on Feb. 24, stated Lefton is a robust chief with “a record of achievement — and … will play a pivotal role leading” the DEC. Her nomination have to be confirmed by the state Senate. Lefton begins within the position in an performing place on March 3, changing DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar, who has been working the company since Basil Seggos stepped down final yr.
“She is a smart, component woman with an extraordinary array of experience in the public and private sector that will provide leadership and expertise to the DEC,” stated Adrienne Esposito, govt director of the Farmingdale-based nonprofit Residents Marketing campaign for the Atmosphere. “I have worked alongside Amanda in the past and she has demonstrated great depth of knowledge and commitment for environmental protection and public health issues. Her expertise is hard to find, and she is exactly the right person for the job.”
Parks & Trails New York Government Director Paul Steely White stated Lefton’s collaborative qualities and experience will support the DEC in safeguarding the state’s open areas.
“Amanda Lefton has a strong track record standing up for the environment and defending the public interest,” White stated. “We look forward to working with her to achieve DEC’s mission to conserve, improve, and protect New York’s natural resources.”
