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.
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