New DEP Secretary in Massachusetts
 
September 1, 1999
 

On April 27, 1999, after several months of searching, Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci appointed Lauren A. Liss to succeed David Struhs as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) As previously reported, David Struhs now heads the Florida DEP.

Ms. Liss was formerly the General Counsel and Deputy Secretary for Environmental Affairs for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, a top aide to George J. Kerasiotis, Chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, and a key player in the "Big Dig" Central Artery project in Boston. According to recent reports, top Kerasiotis aides say that there is some perceived internal bitterness at MDEP over the appointment of Liss because many inside MDEP were hoping Cellucci would appoint Thomas Powers, the Director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. Mr. Powers is a former longtime MDEP staff attorney who served as the MDEP Acting Commissioner before the appointment of David Struhs in 1995. Ms. Liss took over the MDEP post on May 17.