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Ohio man named depot program administratorThis story was published Fri, Dec 27, 2002
HERMISTON -- An administrator with more than 25 years experience in environmental regulation has been named by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality as program administrator for the Umatilla Chemical Depot project. Dennis Murphey of Cincinnati will replace Wayne Thomas, who left the regulatory agency earlier this month for a job in Atlanta. Murphey was selected after a nationwide search. Murphey is currently director of the environmental management program for Cincinnati. He has no background in the nation's chemical demilitarization program and will face a big challenge because the Army is potentially only months away from starting the burning of 3,717 tons of deadly chemical weapons stored at Umatilla. However, environmental regulators are confident Murphey will be able to get the job done. "He will work with the community and keep the program on target and maintain the department's high standards for environmental protection and public safety," said Stephanie Hallock, DEQ director. Acting program administrator Sue Oliver added, "We will give our new administrator our full support." Reached at his Cincinnati home, Murphey said he's excited about his new role. "Obviously this is a very important project, and I've heard great things about the staff (in Hermiston)," Murphey said. Murphey said he will have lots of things to learn but believes his background, including past experiences with hazardous waste projects, will serve him well. "I have 26 years of environmental management experience in both the public and private sector. My style is to work collaboratively with all the stakeholders," he said. Murphey will assume the new position in late January. n Reporter Karen Spears Zacharias can be reached at 541-567-6748 or via e-mail at kzacharias@tri-cityherald.com. | |
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