As governor-elect Mikie Sherrill prepares to be sworn in as the next Governor of New Jersey on Tuesday, January 20th the governor-elect has already announced that Ed Potosnak from the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters – pending senate confirmation – will be her selection as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
The announcement by Governor-elect Sherrill came several hours after the state’s 5-year NJDEP commissioner under outgoing Governor Phil Murphy, Shawn LaTourette, announced he would be stepping down. This past Friday morning, January 16th, LaTourette told NJ Spotlight News that he would not continue as commissioner under the new gubernatorial administration in New Jersey. “I will conclude my time as commissioner of environmental protection for our great state next Tuesday at noon, coincident with the governor’s term,” LaTourette told NJ Spotlight News anchor Briana Vannozzi last week.
In the full 8:56 interview, LaTourette spoke about his leadership efforts on environmental justice, land-use regulations, climate change, and water infrastructure over the past 8 years, without any mention of fishing, hunting or wildlife which are all NJDEP responsibilities as well (the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife falls under the larger Department of Environmental Protection in the Trenton bureaucratic management chart).
Soon after LaTourette’s interview on YouTube, InsiderNJ was first to report that Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill would be nominating Ed Potosnak as her choice to fill LaTourette’s seat as NJDEP Commissioner. The soon-to-be governor of New Jersey posted a photo of her and Potosnak together side-by-side early Friday afternoon.
“Ed Potosnak is a proven leader who will be critical in our efforts to preserve New Jersey’s protect residents from flooding and extreme weather and remediate contaminated sites,” said then Governor-elect Sherrill on Friday, adding “He will bring his experience as a licensed contractor to the department to prioritize cutting through red tape and reducing permitting times.”
According to his online bio (www.edpotosnak.org), Potosnak is the Executive Director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters who has been serving as a Council member in Franklin Township (Somerset County). He is been chair of the New Jersey Keep It Green Coalition, New Jersey State lead for the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed, was appointed by Governor Murphy to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) Board, and is a member of the Rutgers Glee Club Alumni Advisory Committee.
“As a licensed contractor, I understand the struggles that business owners face while trying to get state permits, and as Commissioner, I look forward to streamlining that process so we’re ensuring government is being responsive to job creators while protecting our state’s natural resources,” Potosnak said in an official statement.
Like LaTourette, Potosnak is also a lecturer at Rutgers University, which is where he earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in education. And like LaTourette, Potosnak has also been a vocal supporter of industrial offshore wind development who’s been quick to criticize fishing and tourism concerns as “spreading lies and fossil fuel propaganda.”
Still, New Jersey anglers seem hopeful for a change. “I know he is pro-wind which I am not,” said New Jersey angler Paul Haertel, who added “However, I’m hopeful that he will be supportive of our hunters and fishermen.”
Following Tuesday’s swearing in of incoming governor-elect Sherrill, nominations for state Cabinet positions, including NJDEP Commissioner, will then head to the New Jersey Senate for review, public hearings, and a final confirmation vote.
