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DNR Chief To Lead Michigan's Environmental Agency On Interim Basis

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - The head of Michigan's Department of Natural Resources will temporarily become the state's top environmental regulator.

Gov. Rick Snyder says Keith Creagh will lead the Department of Environmental Quality on an interim basis.

DEQ chief Dan Wyant quit Tuesday after a report on Flint's water crisis put the blame on the agency. Wyant's spokesman, Brad Wurfel, also resigned.

In a statement Wednesday, the governor says Creagh will provide a "seamless transition" while he searches for a permanent DEQ director.

Bill Moritz will serve as interim director of the DNR. He's been a deputy director and has previously served as chief of the wildlife division.

Creagh has served as DNR director since July 2012 and was previously director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, where he built an extensive resume in environmental and human health safety issues, including involvement in pesticide enforcement, ensuring the proper disposal of chemicals and cancelling some that posed a danger to human health.

Creagh has worked closely on many environmental and public health issues with the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture. He served as director of industry affairs for Lansing-based Neogen Corp., which provides food and animal safety solutions to the agri-food industry. He earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan Technological University.

Moritz is the natural resources deputy at the DNR, previously serving as chief and assistant chief of the wildlife division and as a deer research specialist. He also was executive director for Safari Club international and the Safari Club International Foundation. Moritz earned a doctorate in zoology from Southern Illinois University, a master's degree in fish and wildlife management from Montana State University and a bachelor's degree in fisheries and wildlife biology from Iowa State University.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

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