State Senate rejects Cooper nominee for environmental quality top job
(The Center Square) – The North Carolina Senate voted Thursday to deny Gov. Roy Cooper’s nominee to lead the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
The failed confirmation vote marked the first time the Senate has rejected one of Cooper’s cabinet nominees since Senate confirmations were required by state law in 2016.
The Republican-majority Senate voted, 26-20, to reject the department’s acting secretary, Dionne Delli-Gatti, after a lengthy debate. GOP senators said they were not satisfied with her knowledge and awareness of the state’s natural gas issues during confirmation hearings.
“North Carolina’s future, not to mention lights, heat and air conditioning in millions of homes, is at risk because of the state’s full reliance on a single natural gas pipeline,” Sen. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, said. “Ms. Delli-Gatti could not articulate the Cooper administration’s natural gas strategy, which she would presumably lead or, at least, be heavily involved in, nor was she informed about a major pipeline that her own agency rejected 48 hours later. Given the importance of this issue, that’s disqualifying.”
Democrats argued the decision to reject was politically driven. Some asked for additional hearings, and Cooper called on lawmakers to delay the process. Sen. Michael Garrett, D-Guilford, referred to Delli-Gatti as a victim of “dark money” operatives during Senate floor debate Thursday.
“This isn’t really about a pipeline or a natural gas plant. It’s the problem with this place,” Garrett said. “That there are dark money interests in the gallery here today and that walk the hallways of this building all the time, that sometimes called the shots.”
Cooper now must start the search for a new nominee to put before the Senate for the position. The Senate vote Thursday also automatically removed Delli-Gatti as acting secretary, but Cooper immediately appointed her North Carolina clean energy director, a position not currently listed on the agency’s website. It is unclear how much Delli-Gatti’s new salary will be. She made $155,500 a year as department head.
“Dionne Delli-Gatti has the experience and qualifications to serve as Secretary of DEQ, and the legislature’s baseless political criticism of her credentials is but a smokescreen to thwart North Carolina’s transition to clean energy that she has the knowledge to help put in place,” Cooper said in a statement. “I am pleased that Dionne will continue to serve our state in the role of North Carolina Clean Energy Director as we transition to renewable energy.”
Chief Deputy Secretary John Nicholson will lead the agency as the interim secretary, Cooper said. The final vote to reject Delli-Gatti was no surprise. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy and the Environment voted against recommending Delli-Gatti on Wednesday.
Cooper’s office did not immediately respond to questions Thursday regarding the North Carolina clean energy director position.
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