Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr., (R) announced Monday that Horacio Tablada is the new Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Environment. He will replace Ben Grumbles beginning June 1.
Grumbles is stepping down to become the Executive Director of the Environmental Council of the States, an independent, nonpartisan national association of state- and territorial environmental commissioners based at Washington, D.C. Grumbles has been the environment secretary since Hogan took over in 2015. According to a Hogan administration news release, Grumbles is the longest serving environment secretary in American history.
Hogan stated that Horacio Tablada has dedicated his career to serving the public, protecting the environment, and public health. He will be responsible for MDE’s ongoing work to restore and protect the environment, including the Chesapeake Bay. He will also help boost employment and the economy by redeveloping brownfields safely. And he will assist the state in achieving its climate goals through partnerships.
This is because Hogan will be finishing his second term next January as governor and a growing number high-ranking government officials are beginning to move on.
Incoming Maryland Environment Secretary Horacio Tablada. Maryland Department of the Environment photo
Tablada has been working for the Maryland Department of the Environment over the past three decades. She started in 1985 in the department’s environmental regulatory programs and was later promoted to director of the departments Land Management Administration. She was then appointed deputy secretary in 2015.
Tablada stated that she looks forward to serving Maryland’s citizens and continuing to promote science-based policies that have led to cleaner air, a cleaner Chesapeake Bay and sustainable and restored properties, as well as protection of children from lead poisoning.
Tablada is from Nicaragua and came to the United States in 1976. He and his wife reside in Elkridge. They have three grown kids and one grandchild.
Grumbles has been a Hogan administration’s main ambassador to environmental issues, even though they have not always viewed eye-to-eye. Following concerns about the state’s drinking waters systems and a backlog in expired water quality permits, Grumbles was criticised by environmental advocates and lawmakers.
The General Assembly passed climate change legislation last month. This legislation sets a goal that the state reduces its carbon emissions by 60% below 2006 levels and is carbon neutral by 2045. This goal will partially be met by requiring large buildings owners to drastically reduce their use fossil fuels beginning in 2030.
In response to the backlog in so-called “zombie permits”, which refers to the period after a permit expires before a new one is issued. The legislature also passed a bill that requires MDE clear the backlog of these permits prior to 2026. MDE will inspect each facility in significant noncompliance starting in July. The agency will also be required inspect facilities that operate under zombie permits once a month.
Kim Coble, executive director of Maryland League of Conservation Voters, and co-chair of Grumbles of Maryland Commission on Climate Change, stated that she has complete confidence in Tabladas ability as the Department of Environment manager. He is very knowledgeable about the technical issues and has a great understanding of the agency’s history.
Coble stated that Tablada will build on the General Assembly’s work in climate change mitigation. This was made clear by the passage of Climate Solutions Now. Coble also said that climate change is a priority and urgent issue in the state. The Department of the Environment plays a major role in the implementation of the bill.
It is a large, complex job and it will take real leadership from both the governor and the agency to make it a success. [implementation]Coble said it did.
Coble stated that she hopes the Department of Environment will prioritise enforcement of water quality permits and have enough staff to fulfill its mission, which is funded from the governor’s budget.
Victoria Venable is the Maryland director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. She stated that she hopes the agency will be able to more quickly update state regulations regarding methane pollution from landfills. Venable said that the department held its 2017 first meeting to discuss the possibility of new regulations. However, the process has stalled. In the first 20 year after it reaches the atmosphere, Methane has 80x the warming power as carbon dioxide.
A group representing environmental groups revealed that MDE was discovered last year.I had underestimated the amount methane that was coming from the state’s landfills.The amount actually emitted was reported four times lower than the amount reported. This was due to data-based and mathematical errors, according to the state department of environment.
Tabladas’ deputy secretary will be filled by Suzanne Dorsey as assistant secretary for the Department of the Environment.
Grumbles features a veteran regulator from the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), who has also worked in government and headed a nonprofit called the U.S. Water Alliance. He has been director of Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and assistant administrator for Water at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also served as senior counsel to two congressional committees.
We are delighted to have a visionary leader of Bens caliber step into the role of ECOS executive director, said Myra Reece, director of the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control, who was the ECOS search committee chair. He not only knows the association inside out, but also has unparalleled policy knowledge.
