Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection News

PA DEP Secretary McGinty Announces Retirement of Deputy Secretary for Energy

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty today announced the retirement of Daniel Desmond, deputy secretary for energy and technology deployment at the DEP.

Desmond, who has served the commonwealth for 17 years and helped guide the growth of Pennsylvania's renewable energy industry, will leave office at the end of the week.

"Dan Desmond has been a visionary when it comes to developing a cleaner, greener, more sustainable Pennsylvania," said McGinty. "He has a passion for energy issues and his breadth of knowledge on the subject, which is apparent if you've spent any length of time with him, has been incredibly valuable.

"Dan has been an extraordinary public servant, an exceptional leader in making clean technology a reality instead of a pipedream, and more importantly, he has been a cherished friend. All of us at DEP will miss him dearly."

Desmond joined the Pennsylvania Energy Office in 1983 and served as its executive director until its merger with DEP in 1995.

From April 1995 until his appointment as deputy secretary in May 2003, he chaired the Pennsylvania Energy Resources Center, an advocacy and public education project to secure funding for renewable energy in the aftermath of utility deregulation. He also served as president of Sustainable Systems Research, a Lancaster-based firm specializing in the development and commercialization of environmentally beneficial technology.

In his position as deputy secretary, Desmond is responsible for fostering the deployment and use of innovative environmental and advanced energy technologies, including renewable energy. The Office of Energy and Technology Deployment works with citizen's groups, businesses, trade organizations, local governments and communities to help them understand and adopt pollution prevention and energy efficiency practices.

McGinty credited Desmond with playing a leading role in crafting Pennsylvania's ambitious Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Act, which requires that at least 18 percent of all retail electricity sold in the state by 2021 be derived from advanced energy sources. Along with the state's strategic investments in the industry, the law has helped drive more than $1 billion in private investment in Pennsylvania in projects that have created 3,000 jobs.

Desmond's work was also integral to helping Governor Edward G. Rendell to establish the Energy Harvest program and expand the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant program. Since it began in 2003, Energy Harvest has invested nearly $26 million and leveraged $66 million in private investments. The Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant was increased under Governor Rendell to support energy security by investing in companies that produce and market homegrown biofuels and consumers that purchase hybrid vehicles.

Desmond is a graduate of the University of Toledo.

CONTACT: Neil Weaver

(717) 787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

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