State DEC Commissioner To Take Region EPA Post

By YERETH ROSEN
Alaska Beacon
    Alaska’s top environmental regulator was chosen to be the new Pacific Northwestern regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced on Wednesday.
    Emma Pokon, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, was chosen by President Donald Trump to lead EPA’s Seattle-based Region 10 office, Dunleavy said.
    “I can’t think of any Alaskan better suited to oversee federal environmental regulations and laws for Alaska than Emma Pokon,” Dunleavy said in a statement.
    Pokon has led the Department of Environmental Conservation since August 2023, when she became acting commissioner upon the resignation of Jason Brune. Dunleavy named her as commissioner the following December.
    Pokon joined the department in 2020, moving there from the state Department of Law, where she served as a senior assistant attorney general. At the Department of Law, she handled environmental and natural resource matters.
    Poken, in the governor’s statement, said it had been “an incredible privilege” to be part of DEC’s leadership for the past five years.
    “I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue public service in this new role and look forward to working with EPA leadership and Region 10 to ensure balanced implementation of the nation’s environmental laws,” she said.
    Deputy Commissioner Christina Carpenter will serve as acting commissioner of the department until a permanent successor to Pokon is chosen, Dunleavy’s statement said.
    The Region 10 office serves Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and 271 tribal governments.
    Pokon replaces Casey Sixkiller, who led the regional office in President Joe Biden’s administration. Sixkiller, a former Seattle deputy mayor and chief operating officer of King County, Washington, now serves as director of the Washington Department of Ecology.
    The Region 10 EPA office has been led in the interim by Acting Administrator Dan Opalski.
–––––––––––––––––
https://alaskabeacon.com/yereth-rosen

Login Form

 

20 YEARS AGO

March 2005

Western Illinois’ Travis Watson was named Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week by the Mid-Continent Conference after a successful campaign in recent individual and relay team events. Watson, a 2000 Sitka High graduate, is a senior in engineering technology. He is the son of Cathy Watson and the late Craig H. Watson.

 

50 YEARS AGO

March 1975

Marilyn Knapp, president of the Greater Sitka Arts Council, announced today the council will solicit local businesses and individuals for scholarships to be awarded to Sitka students planning to attend the Regional Fine Arts Camp on the Sheldon Jackson College campus in July.

Calendar

Local Events

Instagram

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Instagram!

Facebook

Daily Sitka Sentinel on Facebook!