The John Locke Foundation’s Don van der Vaart has been appointed to the Environmental Management Commission.
The Environmental Management Commission is a 15-member commission responsible for adopting rules for the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air and water resources. The Commission oversees and adopts rules for divisions of the Department of Environmental Quality, such as the Divisions of Air Quality, Land Resources, Water Quality and Water Resources.
Don van der Vaart is a Senior Fellow at the John Locke Foundation. He holds degrees in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Law, and previously served as the first Ph D. Scientist to hold the position of Secretary for the N. C. Department of Environmental Quality. He currently serves on the EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. van der Vaart has authored nearly 50 papers on both technical and legal topics and authored two patents. He has testified for various Congressional Committees on environmental topics and is a licensed engineer and attorney in North Carolina. On the subject, Dr. van der Vaart stated:
“I very much look forward to using my 20+ years of experience at the Department on the Environmental Management Commission, and I am confident it will help me to better guide the DEQ in properly protecting the environment.”