Grumbles Confirmed as Maryland Secretary of the Environment
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jay Apperson
(410) 537-3003
jay.apperson@maryland.gov
Grumbles Confirmed as Maryland Secretary of the Environment
Baltimore, MD (March 6, 2015) – The Maryland State Senate today voted to confirm the appointment of Ben Grumbles as Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment.
Secretary Grumbles brings experience in environmental issues from multiple levels of government and from the non-profit sector. He had been nominated by Governor Larry Hogan in January to lead MDE.
“I am honored to have been chosen by Governor Hogan to serve the citizens of Maryland as Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, and I thank the members of the Senate for voting to confirm my nomination,” Secretary Grumbles said. “Maryland is a national environmental leader, and I am committed to ensuring that environmental progress continues. I believe strongly in the value of collaboration. Working together and employing a variety of tools and strategies, we can protect and restore our air, land and water – including the Chesapeake Bay – while fostering a healthy economy.”
From 2010 until his nomination earlier this year, Secretary Grumbles was President of the U.S. Water Alliance, a Washington-based environmental non-profit organization that educates the public on the value of water and the need for integrated and innovative solutions. He previously served as Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is a member of the National Academy of Science’s Water Science and Technology Board.
Secretary Grumbles also has experience in energy, climate, air, waste and agricultural policy and regulations. He was Director of Arizona’s Department of Environmental Quality, and he served as Environmental Counsel and Senior Staff Member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a frequent lecturer and analyst on environmental law and policy.
Secretary Grumbles will lead an agency of more than 900 employees. His priorities include an emphasis on effective customer service. MDE’s customers include: Maryland citizens who expect protection and restoration of the environment; businesses, governments, and individuals who are applying for permits and receiving technical assistance; and technical personnel such as well drillers, sanitarians, waste water operators, and asbestos contractors who require certification. Other key stakeholders include environmental and public health advocacy groups, citizen groups, educators, scientists and natural resource users.
Secretary Grumbles, 54, has a master’s degree in environmental law from George Washington University, a J.D. from Emory University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University. He has lived in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, with his wife and two children, over the last 30 years and now lives in Baltimore.
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