AP: Louisiana governor-elect names former Trump appointee to lead environmental quality agency
Louisiana governor-elect names former Trump appointee to lead environmental quality agencyBY SARA CLINE
Updated 6:40 PM EST, November 15, 2023
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Gov.-elect Jeff Landry appointed on Wednesday a former wildlife official from Donald Trumps administration to lead the state agency tasked with safeguarding Louisianas environment.
Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto, who previously served as the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was named as Landrys secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality in Louisiana. Giacometto, a biologist and lawyer who spent more than six years at agrochemical giant Monsanto, is the first Black woman to lead the state agency.
Landry called the appointment historic and said Giacometto understands the balance between protecting our environment and ensuring job creation.
Giacometto will be responsible for ensuring the citizens of Louisiana have a clean and healthy environment to live and work in. Among other things, the state department regulates pollution sources and responds to environmental emergencies.