A North Carolina state Senate committee is bowing to partisan politics in refusing on Wednesday to accept Secretary Dionne Delli-Gatti, Gov. Roy Cooper's highly qualified choice to lead the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Delli-Gatti is the first female DEQ secretary.
Numerous committee members spoke in defense of Delli-Gatti's qualifications and experience, which include serving in the Air Force, earning a master's degree in Environmental Science from the University of North Texas, and spending six years as congressional and governmental liaison with the EPA's Atlanta regional office. They also objected to the committee's refusal to allow Delli-Gatti to answer members' concerns, though she was present at the hearing.
The committee's motion to not approve Delli-Gatti's nomination now goes to the full Senate for consideration. [Note: The Senate subsequently also voted to reject Delli-Gatti's nomination.]
In response to the committee's decision, Cassie Gavin, senior director of government affairs with the N.C. Sierra Club, issued the following statement:
"Dionne Delli-Gatti has significant education and experience to lead DEQ, a job she has done well for over a month. The refusal of committee members from the majority party to accept her in this role isn't founded on any question about her qualifications. This action does a disservice to North Carolinians who want qualified leaders like Delli-Gatti to run our state agencies professionally and competently."