Wise choice for state DEC chief
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation collects fish from the Connetquot River in Oakdale in 2009. Credit: Ed Betz
It's rare that a nominee for commissioner generates as much universal praise as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's choice of Joseph Martens for commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Running an agency depleted by staff cuts and early retirements won't be easy, but Martens has some major strengths for that task.
As a key environmental adviser to Gov. Mario Cuomo, he played a significant role in smoothing the way for Cuomo's signature on the vitally important Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act of 1993. And he was present at the birth of the Environmental Protection Fund, designed to pay for acquiring pine barrens land and to aid other environmental causes. Like DEC, the fund has suffered in this fiscal crisis. We hope he'll be able to help.
In government, he had a reputation as someone who can see all sides of an issue, then find a solution that does the most for the common good. But he's also spent years in the not-for-profit sector, as president of the Open Space Institute, a land-preservation organization.
In addition to that broad background and his support from environmentalists, he has the confidence of two Cuomos. So he has great credentials for protecting the weakened DEC from further erosion. The Senate should confirm him quickly. hN
