Kenneth Fletcher
WC Monitor
2/27/2015
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is searching for a new director after the previous nominee for the slot withdrew from consideration this week. Last month, the DHEC Board tapped Eleanor Kitzman for the post following the resignation of director Catherine Templeton. But at Kitzman’s confirmation hearing last week in the South Carolina Senate, some state lawmakers grilled her on a lack of experience and conflicting statements, according to media reports. Kitzman subsequently chose to decline the spot “in light of recent events,” according to a Feb. 22 letter by Kitzman to the DHEC Board. “While it is not my nature or history to retreat when confronted with difficulty, I know from recent personal experience how this scenario plays out.”
Previously, Kitzman served as Commissioner for the Texas Department of Insurance from late 2011 through 2013, leaving that post because she was not confirmed by the Texas Senate. She most recently has been a vice president at Starr Insurance Holdings, Inc. She was referred to the DHEC director position post by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), who notably in her 2012 memoir cited Kitzman as an inspiration in politics.
The top vacancy for the South Carolina regulator comes at a key moment in the state’s relationship with the Department of Energy. Templeton led pushback from the state in its strong action against DOE on potential missed milestones for high-level waste tank cleanup at the Savannah River Site, threatening to levy up to $150 million in penalties if the numerous milestones are not met. DOE and the state are also in the midst of the dispute resolution process on a DOE milestone extension request for two high level waste tank closure dates. The DHEC Board is launching a national search for the next director of the agency. In the meantime, DHEC General Counsel Marshall Taylor has been named acting director of the agency.
