Dionne Delli-Gatti, Nominee for NCDEQ Secretary
PHOTO: NCDEQ
NC Senate Votes to Not Confirm Delli-Gatti
June 3, 2021
The North Carolina Senate has voted to not confirm Dionne Delli-Gatti as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The vote was 26 to 20 (along party lines) in favor of amended Senate Resolution 719.
Delli-Gatti tweeted, “Nevertheless, she persisted…” referencing the words of Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2017 when he explained Senate actions to stop Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren from speaking during a debate over Sen. Jeff Sessions nomination as U.S. Attorney General.
Soon after the Senate vote, Governor Cooper announced that Dionne Delli-Gatti would serve as NC’s Clean Energy Director. Cooper said, “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. 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 serve as the Interim Secretary of the DEQ. Nicholson has been with the department since 2017.
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Governor Cooper Announces Dionne Delli-Gatti to Serve as North Carolina Clean Energy Director