Environment DEC
From the April 2007 issue
Pete Grannis Confirmed as DEC Commissioner
Commissioner Grannis
Governor Eliot Spitzer's nominee for Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, State Assemblymember Pete Grannis, was recently confirmed by the State Senate and begins serving in the post this month.
A Long Record of Concern for the Environment
Mr. Grannis was first elected to the Assembly in 1974, representing the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island. In the Assembly, he served as Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and as a member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. He championed environmental issues throughout his tenure in the legislature, where he fought for the passage of State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the original Bottle Bill, and the cleanup and revitalization of the state's brownfields. Mr. Grannis has also played a key role in the enactment of a wide range of environmental legislation, including measures related to acid rain, clean air and water, fluorocarbons and recycling.
He chaired the Assembly's first Subcommittee on Toxic Wastes, sponsored legislation ensuring a worker's right to know about hazardous materials in the workplace, and has worked to regulate the transport, storage and disposal of toxic wastes. Mr. Grannis authored the state's rapid transit noise code and has been at the forefront of the fight to have the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) convert its polluting diesel bus fleet to clean fuels.
Mr. Grannis is a three-time winner of the Legislator of the Year award from the Environmental Planning Lobby and was accorded similar honors by the Audubon Society, the Environmental Action Coalition and Environmental Advocates. His work has also been recognized by the New York State Conservation Council.
Also A Leader on Improving Public Health
A nationally recognized leader in the fight to curb the health hazards posed by smoking, Mr. Grannis authored New York's 1989 Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) and amendments adopted in 2003 to protect all working men and women from deadly secondhand smoke. His legislative efforts to curb smoking, including the historic CIAA and the Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act, have received global recognition. Mr. Grannis's work has been hailed by numerous public health organizations including the American Cancer Society and the New York State Association of County Health Officials.
Worked for DEC Many Years Ago
Mr. Grannis is a graduate of Rutgers University and the University of Virginia Law School. Prior to entering the Assembly, Mr. Grannis practiced law in New York City and served as Compliance Counsel for DEC.
