DNRE Takes First Step in the Right Direction

The Governor has appointed Becky Humphries (director of the Department of Natural Resources since 2004) as the new director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.  This is a welcome move by the administration and signals an understanding that the new department must make protecting Michigan's natural resources and public health its first priority. Members of the environmental and conservation communities have been hopeful that the transition process to combine the DEQ and the DNR would result in a more effective department that is not just a "rubber stamp approval" service for environmental permit applicants. While the new department will be judged by its future performance, this first step is definitely one in the right direction.