Environment DEC
From the June 2007 issue
Commissioner Grannis Names Four DEC Executives
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis recently announced the selection of four professionals with extensive environmental credentials to key executive positions at DEC: Alison H. Crocker, Val Washington, Jared Snyder and Peter M. Iwanowicz.
Alison H. Crocker will serve as DEC's General Counsel. Val Washington will serve as Deputy Commissioner of the divisions of Solid and Hazardous Materials, Environmental Remediation and Mineral Resources.
"Alison and Val have been committed advocates for the environment throughout their careers-much of that time working for and with DEC-and I'm thrilled to have them as part of the executive team we are establishing," Commissioner Grannis said. "With their combined institutional knowledge, proven leadership, impressive qualifications, and new ideas, Val and Alison will build upon the progress we are making to implement DEC's mission of protecting our environment, building stronger communities and creating a healthy future for New Yorkers."
Jared Snyder will serve as Assistant Commissioner for Air Resources, Climate Change and Energy, and Peter M. Iwanowicz will serve as Director of the Climate Change Office under Snyder. Through the Climate Change Office, Snyder and Iwanowicz will advance Governor Eliot Spitzer's initiatives to help comprehensively address what has become this generation's greatest environmental challenge.
Reducing the impacts of climate change is a top priority for Governor Spitzer. In his 2007 State of the State Address, the governor fully committed to implementing the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as well as identifying and implementing other carbon dioxide reduction efforts. In his 2007-08 inaugural state budget, Governor Spitzer established DEC's Climate Change Office and included funding for 12 new staff. Through the new Climate Change Office, DEC will implement climate change actions that go beyond RGGI, including carbon reduction programs that will include sectors of the economy beyond the power plant sector.
"Jared and Peter are a formidable team with extensive backgrounds fighting for cleaner air and healthier communities," Commissioner Grannis said. "These exceptionally qualified individuals will bring the dedication and knowledge needed to implement important policy changes that reduce greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions."
Alison Crocker
About Alison Crocker
Alison Crocker has skillfully led DEC's legal team as Acting General Counsel for nearly a year and Commissioner Grannis called her appointment "a well-deserved promotion." The Office of General Counsel provides legal services to DEC and includes the Division of Legal Affairs, the Division of Environmental Enforcement, and the Office of Regional Enforcement Coordination for DEC's nine regional offices and three field units.
In her career with DEC, Crocker has served in several different capacities in the Office of General Counsel. Prior to serving as Acting General Counsel, she was director of the Division of Legal Affairs for nearly nine years, managing a team of 19 attorneys. She started working at DEC as an Air Enforcement and Program attorney, bringing enforcement actions against many of the state's largest air polluters, as well as authorizing revisions to the state Clean Air Act to strengthen air-quality protection. She holds a B.A. in government from Skidmore College and a J.D. from the University of Texas, School of Law.
Val Washington
About Val Washington
Most recently, Val Washington served as Senior Policy Analyst for New Partners for Community Revitalization, Inc. (see "Related Off-site Links" below), a not-for-profit organization that assists community organizations in neighborhood revitalization efforts. Prior to that, she served as Executive Director for Environmental Advocates of New York. Before then, she held the titles of Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Bureau Chief for the Environmental Protection Bureau with the State Department of Law for more than 10 years. While there, she worked on cases to abate acid rain, clean up toxic sites, and prosecute environmental crimes. Since receiving her J.D. from Albany Law School, she has built an extensive background in environmental law and policy, including serving as Regional Attorney for DEC's Region 3 Office, where she served as legal advisor to personnel in all DEC program areas.
Washington has also served as board member for many organizations including the Environmental Planning Lobby, the State Environmental Leadership Program, the Environmental Section of the New York State Bar Association, and the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy. She has also taught environmental law at Albany Law School and Bard College. In her new position as Deputy Commissioner, she will be addressing the issues of brownfields, recycling, investigating and cleaning up hazardous waste, development of non-renewable energy, and management of the state's mineral resources.
Jared Snyder
About Jared Snyder
Jared Snyder is a nationally recognized attorney who served as Chief of the Affirmative Litigation Section of the Environmental Protection Bureau for the State Office of the Attorney General (see "Related Off-site Links" below) for the past 12 years. In this position, he initiated and implemented a multi-state enforcement initiative against power companies over Clean Air Act violations, defeated federal efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act, and led litigation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and uphold federal acid rain and smog reduction requirements against large utilities and Midwestern power plants.
From 1990-1995, he worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as the lead attorney for enforcement in the areas of air pollution, water pollution, and hazardous waste. Prior to his federal service, Mr. Snyder worked in private firms in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Mr. Snyder graduated with a B.A. in economics from Cornell University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd and D.C. Circuits, U.S. District Courts in New York and California, and New York and California state bars.
Peter Iwanowicz
About Peter Iwanowicz
Since 2005, Peter Iwanowicz has served as Vice President for the American Lung Association of New York State (ALANYS, see "Related Off-site Links" below), where he has been responsible for directing advocacy efforts, including helping to enact the New York State Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2006, and securing funding increases for the state tobacco control program. Prior to being Vice President, he served as Director of Environmental Health with ALANYS, and helped develop and implement the Association's air-quality improvement efforts. Iwanowicz also worked as the New York State Field Director for the California-based Resource Renewal Institute, and as a Project Director and Project Associate with Environmental Advocates. He graduated with a B.A. from Siena College.
Related Off-site Links
New Partners for Community Revitalization
Attorney General's Environmental Protection Bureau
American Lung Association of New York State
