LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A veteran oil company lobbyist who joined Michigan’s energy agency last year will lead the state Department of Environmental Quality in the wake of Flint’s water crisis.
Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday announced the appointment of Heidi Grether as DEQ director, effective Aug. 1.
She’s been deputy director of the Michigan Agency for Energy for a year.
Keith Creagh has led the DEQ for six months since Dan Wyant resigned due to fallout from Flint’s lead contamination. Creagh returns to directing the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Grether worked for BP America for more than 20 years and helped address the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Snyder says Grether “has decades of experience in environmental quality issues, and has effectively served during times of crises and recovery.”
