From http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/0125072_print.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 25, 2007

GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR DAVID PATERSON ANNOUNCE ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS

Governor Eliot Spitzer and Lieutenant Governor David Paterson today announced nominations for two key senior administration positions.

Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis is being nominated to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Mr. Grannis was first elected to the Assembly in 1974 and represents the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island. He currently serves as legislator, serving as Chair of the Assembly Insurance Committee and as a member of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Grannis has championed environmental issues throughout his tenure in the legislature. He was a leader in fighting for the passage of SEQRA, the original bottle bill, and the clean-up and revitalization of the state's brownfields. Mr. Grannis has also played a key role in the enactment of a wide range of environmental legislation, including measures related to acid rain, clean air and water, fluorocarbons and recycling. He chaired the Assembly's first Subcommittee on Toxic Wastes, sponsored legislation ensuring a worker's right to know about hazardous materials in the work place and has worked to regulate the transport, storage and disposal of toxic wastes. Mr. Grannis authored the state's rapid transit noise code and has been at the forefront of the fight to have the MTA convert its polluting diesel bus fleet to clean fuels.

A nationally recognized leader in the fight to curb the health hazards posed by smoking, Mr. Grannis authored New York's 1989 Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) and amendments adopted in 2003 to protect all working men and women from deadly secondhand smoke. His legislative efforts to curb smoking, including the historic CIAA and the Adolescent Tobacco Use Prevention Act have received global recongnition. Mr. Grannis’s work has been hailed by numerous public health organizations including the American Cancer Society and the New York State Association of County Health Officials.

Mr. Grannis is a three-time winner of the Legislator of the Year award from the Environmental Planning Lobby and was accorded similar honors by the Audubon Society, the Environmental Action Coalition and Environmental Advocates. He also received the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Public Service Award in recognition of his efforts in promoting the humane treatment of animals.

Mr. Grannis lives with his family in New York City. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and the University of Virginia Law School. Prior to entering the Assembly, Mr. Grannis practiced law in New York City and served as Compliance Counsel for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Judith Enck will be appointed as Deputy Secretary for the Environment. For the past eight years, Ms. Enck has served as a policy advisor to Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s office, she was a Senior Environmental Associate with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). She has also served as the Executive Director of the Environmental Advocates of New York, a non-profit government watchdog organization dedicated to enforcing laws that protect natural resources and safeguards public health. Ms. Enck received her B.A. from the College of St. Rose.