Washington state Department of Ecology Director Maia Bellon said Monday she would retire at the end of this month.
Ecology is the state regulator for the U.S. Department of Energy’s sprawling Hanford Site through a variety of permits including the dangerous waste, or site-wide, permit.
Bellon announced her pending retirement Monday after 25 years as a state employee and nearly seven as head of the environmental agency.
“Arriving at this choice has been bittersweet, but I’m confident that it’s the right time for me to make a professional and personal change,” Bellon said in a press release. After reconnecting with family and friends, “I then intend to dust off my law degree” and go into private practice focusing on environmental and policy issues, she added.
Prior to becoming director in 2013, Bellon managed Ecology’s Water Resources Program. She previously served as a state assistant attorney general for 15 years, focusing on water law and other environmental legal issues.
“Maia has been a resolute leader who has made decisions based on science and data, listened to impacted communities and worked tirelessly to protect our state’s water, air and lands,” Gov. Jay Inslee (D) said in the press release.
Ecology spokesman Randy Bradbury said Monday that Bellon’s retirement should not derail new talks between the state agency and the U.S. Department of Energy concerning treatment and disposal of radioactive tank waste and other environmental cleanup issues at Hanford. The first session was held in October and the parties are still defining the proper scope of the talks, the spokesman said.
In May, Bellon called for what she termed “holistic” talks on Hanford, including revised cleanup milestones under the so-called Tri-Party Agreement between the state, DOE, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Ecology Deputy Director Polly Zehm is the No. 2 manager at the agency.
