Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Associated Press: Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Calls it Quits

DEP chief resigns
By Jeanette Bradley
Created 2010-08-03 06:21

TALLAHASSEE (AP) — Mike Sole announced Monday that he will resign as secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Sept. 10 after leading the state's response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Mimi Drew, the agency's deputy secretary of regulatory programs, as an interim replacement.

Sole's letter of resignation to Crist says he plans to pursue other opportunities, but he didn't specify what they will be. Agency spokeswoman Amy Graham said he has not yet announced his plans and was unavailable for interviews.

Sole offered his resignation to Crist less than a week after announcing the state was "rightsizing" its response to the oil spill because a temporary cap put in place by BP has been holding back the oil, and permanent fixes are being readied.

"Now that the Deepwater Horizon well has been capped, and Florida is on the road to recovery, it is necessary for me to announce my departure date," Sole wrote.

Sole spent nearly 20 years at the agency. He was deputy secretary for regulatory programs and energy before Crist appointed him to head the department in 2007 with approval from the three-member state Cabinet.

"During his time at the helm of the Department of Environmental Protection, he has championed Florida's Everglades restoration, including expanding our efforts to the northernmost parts of an ecosystem that is essential to the water quality of millions of Floridians," Crist said in a statement.

Crist also praised Sole for leading efforts to address climate change through energy efficiency and alternative fuels.

The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, though, has balked at proposals for greenhouse gas limits for electric utilities and new vehicles championed by Sole and Crist, who has left the GOP to run for the U.S. Senate as an independent.

Environmentalists had praised Sole's appointment but some later criticized his agency as failing to protect the state's waters from polluters.

Sole earlier this year questioned some aspects of federal regulations proposed for Florida waters in response to a lawsuit by environmentalists, but he denied that he was siding with agriculture and business interests that oppose those rules.

The agency's website credits Sole with making customer service a top priority and launching several new initiatives including an online tool called the Contamination Locator Map with information on pollution sites and clean up projects. He also has set up websites for state lands, permitting and compliance and enforcement.

A former Marine captain, Sole is a veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

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