Perdue makes pick to head EPD

Update: The governor's choice was confirmd.
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From the governor's office:

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that he is recommending F. Allen Barnes to be the new Director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. If approved on Wednesday by the Board of Natural Resources, Barnes will replace Carol Couch, who served as EPD Director for more than six years and recently accepted a faculty position at the University of Georgia’s College of Environment and Design. ...

Allen Barnes served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region Four from 2002 to 2005, enabling him to work on the most significant issues in the eight state southeastern region. As Chief of Staff he worked with state environmental directors and with EPA’s senior staff on regulatory, enforcement, permitting, and policy issues.

Prior to serving at EPA, Barnes taught natural resource policy and law as an Associate Professor at Mississippi State from 1996 to 2002. Barnes has also served as a prosecutor in the Florida State Attorney’s Office and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney handling criminal, tort and environmental litigation. He is currently a partner in King & Spalding’s environmental practice. Barnes graduated from the University of West Florida and received his J.D. from the University of Mississippi.

Update: Long-time enviro lobbyist Neill Herring offers this appraisal:

This is the second King and Spalding lawyer at DNR in two weeks. Another one got put on the DNR Board from the 4th District.

Replacing a water scientist with another lawyer, right when we need to be figuring out how to share out water resources with our neighbors doesn't seem to be the best choice of appointees.

King and Spalding is also apparently taking over the lead role in "Water Wars" negotiations.

I see two problems here: One is obvious, lawyers have failed to settle the water disputes for 20 years, why do we think that will change in 13 months? The second is the undue influence of a single law firm, King and Spalding, over the natural resources of the state, given the firm's representation of so many polluters and other similar firms with deep interests in those resources, interests not shared by the public.