Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Shawn M. Garvin has named Angela Marconi the new director of DNRECâs Division of Air Quality, succeeding David Fees, who is retiring from DNREC at the end of May, after more than 25 years in state government.
Joining DNREC in 1995 as an engineer, Fees rose through career-ladder promotions and held several management positions prior to leading the division that addresses Delawareâs air quality issues, ensures regulatory compliance with air permits and enforces the stateâs air quality regulations in conjunction with the federal Clean Air Act.
âI thank Dave Fees for his dedication to the department and the people of Delaware,â said Garvin. âIn naming Angela Marconi as his successor, I know we have an experienced leader moving us into the future.â
Whether in their own back yards or while taking a walk outdoors, Delawareans are likely to encounter young wildlife this time of year, and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) is reminding well-meaning residents that usually the best thing they can do when encountering young wildlife of any species is to leave the animals alone. Taking a wild animal from the wild will almost certainly ensure that it will not survive, so âif you care, leave them there,â they said.
While some young animals appear to be abandoned, they usually are not, with their mothers nearby watching over them and waiting for you to move on, officials emphasized. Many wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, leave their young while they forage for food, visiting only a few times a day, with the young animalâs natural instinct being to lie quietly to protect themselves from predators.
The Delaware Superior Court has approved a $65 million class action settlement in one of the Mountaire environmental civil lawsuits. By settling, the Mountaire companies do not admit responsibility for the alleged groundwater or air contamination caused by their wastewater disposal activities â but the company agrees to pay people who may have been affected in a roughly 25-square-mile zone.
âTo the class members, I hope the results here improve your life and make up for at least some of the losses you believe youâve suffered. No settlement is never perfect, and that is especially true where, as here, liability was strenuously fought,â the Hon. Craig. A Karsnitz announced at the April 12 fairness hearing via Zoom.
As part of recent Earth Day celebrations, the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), the Delaware Tourism Office, Delaware Greenways and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) announced that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has designated the Delaware Bayshore Byway as a National Scenic Byway.
Gov. John Carney, DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski, DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, Director of the Delaware Tourism Office Liz Keller and representatives from Delaware Greenways and tourism groups celebrated the designation with a gathering on April 22 to unveil a special sign recognizing the byway as a National Scenic Byway at the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserveâs St. Jones Reserve in Dover.
Itâs a lawsuit thatâs been years in the making, but the class-action suit against Mountaire Farms may be approaching a $65 million resolution. Rather than face a prolonged jury trial, the poultry processing plant and the citizens who sued them have agreed to a $65 million settlement that could potentially be shared among a huge swath of people.
Incredibly, the proposed settlement could include anyone who has lived or worked full-time in most of Millsboro or Dagsboro, at any time since mid-2000, when the company first acquired the Millsboro poultry processing plant. Although Mountaire does not admit culpability for the alleged groundwater or air contamination there, the company agreed to pay people who may have been affected in a roughly 25-square-mile zone.