Gov. Tom Corbett Thursday named Dana Aunkst Acting Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. Aunkst previously served as Executive Deputy Secretary for Programs, the number two position in the agency.
As the Executive Deputy Secretary for Programs he planned, directed, integrated and evaluated all of the core environmental protection programs for the agency. This includes building effective relationships with public officials, non-government organizations, the regulated community and other partners to further the agency's strategic agenda.
Aunkst directly oversaw the Offices of Active and Abandoned Mining Operations, Oil and Gas Management, Water Management, and Waste, Air, Radiation and Remediation to ensure that policies and regulations are implemented consistently through the Department's six regional offices.
Aunkst was also responsible for overseeing the operations of DEP's six regional offices. The regional field offices directly implement the Air Quality, Environmental Cleanup and Brownfield Redevelopment, Radiation Protection, Waste Management, Watershed Conservation and Restoration, Clean Water, Waterways and Wetlands, and Safe Drinking Water Programs.
He was previously the Director for the Bureau of Water Standards and Facility Regulation at DEP. There he was responsible for planning, directing and coordinating the Department's programs and regulations related to water quality standards, drinking water facilities, and sewage and industrial wastewater treatment facilities.
Aunkst started with DER in 1985 as a sanitary engineer in the Meadville regional office. He also worked for a period of time in the Williamsport regional office. He has been with the Department off and on for 22 years and has worked in environmental protection, in both the private and public sectors, for 30 years.
He has also worked in private practice as a consulting environmental engineer, an industrial plant engineer, and for local government as a Public Works Manager. Mr. Aunkst holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University and is a registered professional engineer in Pennsylvania.