Aug. 12, 2016 at 4:00 PM
Lansing (AP) — Michigan’s newly named top environmental regulator (click here) said Wednesday that she is not defined by her past as an oil and gas lobbyist and will make decisions with no “particular bent” other than protecting the environment and human health.
Gov. Rick Snyder’s appointment of Heidi Grether to lead the Department of Environmental Quality in the wake of fallout from the Flint water crisis has drawn criticism because of her ties to BP, the company responsible for another environmental disaster — the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
But Grether, who began the job last week, told The Associated Press in an interview that “who I am is a whole lot more than just my last job.” She said it is “unfortunate” yet understandable that people “make assumptions based on what they read.”
“I would hope that folks would give me a chance to see how actually I plan to run this agency, what kinds of decisions come out of it and how we make those decisions,” Grether said. “This is an important job. I’ve taken an oath of office for it. Notwithstanding my past, that oath of office is what drives me to follow the law, follow the rules, be responsive to concerns that are raised, be fair, try to get all the information to make good decisions and to move forward.”
She added: “I hope that people will see and understand that I am not coming at this as a particular person from a particular bent.”...
Lansing (AP) — Michigan’s newly named top environmental regulator (click here) said Wednesday that she is not defined by her past as an oil and gas lobbyist and will make decisions with no “particular bent” other than protecting the environment and human health.
Gov. Rick Snyder’s appointment of Heidi Grether to lead the Department of Environmental Quality in the wake of fallout from the Flint water crisis has drawn criticism because of her ties to BP, the company responsible for another environmental disaster — the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
But Grether, who began the job last week, told The Associated Press in an interview that “who I am is a whole lot more than just my last job.” She said it is “unfortunate” yet understandable that people “make assumptions based on what they read.”
“I would hope that folks would give me a chance to see how actually I plan to run this agency, what kinds of decisions come out of it and how we make those decisions,” Grether said. “This is an important job. I’ve taken an oath of office for it. Notwithstanding my past, that oath of office is what drives me to follow the law, follow the rules, be responsive to concerns that are raised, be fair, try to get all the information to make good decisions and to move forward.”
She added: “I hope that people will see and understand that I am not coming at this as a particular person from a particular bent.”...
