Staying On

By John Liang / January 21, 2009 at 5:00 AM

Several politically appointed defense environmental officials, including top DOD environment chief Wayne Arny, will be staying in their posts temporarily under the Obama administration until their replacements are named, sister publication Defense Environment Alert's Stuart Parker reported this week:

Political appointees requiring Senate confirmation may take some time to replace, DOD sources indicate, with the most senior posts being filled first. Other officials, meanwhile, are either leaving voluntarily on Jan. 20 or have been asked by the Obama transition team to vacate their positions.

Arny, deputy under secretary of defense for installations and environment, will be staying until a replacement is found, but the number two environment official, Alex Beehler, who is DOD assistant deputy under secretary for environment, safety and occupational health, was slated to officially leave his position by Jan. 16. Neither of these positions requires Senate confirmation.

At the Army, Keith Eastin, assistant secretary of the Army for installations and environment, will also stay for the time being, along with the Army’s top energy executive Paul Bollinger and the Army Secretary himself Pete Geren, sources confirm.

At the Navy, it is now clear that Donald Schregardus, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for environment, will stay until replaced, and Navy Secretary Donald Winter will remain until March 13, unless the president names a replacement first.

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