Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality secretary Chuck Carr Brown resigns

The head of Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality has stepped down from his post atop the state regulatory agency, Gov. John Bel Edwards said — the latest official from Edwards’ administration to resign as his term in the governor’s mansion nears a close.

Edwards “regretfully” accepted the resignation of DEQ Secretary Chuck Carr Brown on Thursday, the governor said in a press release. DEQ Assistant Secretary for Assessment Roger Gingles was named interim secretary.

Brown has led DEQ since Edwards took office in 2016, overseeing major environmental disasters such as the massive floods that left much of the Baton Rouge region underwater in August of that year. Edwards also touted Brown’s leadership through shifting permitting and enforcement approaches by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Before leading DEQ, Brown was a DEQ assistant secretary in Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s administration.

Edwards thanked Brown for what he described as “refocusing the agency” on alternative fuels, conservation and recycling during his term. Brown in a statement called improvement in Louisiana’s air quality the “proudest achievement” of his career at the agency.

Edwards has charted a path to massively cut Louisiana’s greenhouse gas emissions through a sweeping plan to lessen the state’s reliance on oil and gas by 2050.

Still, both the Edwards’ administration and the agency Brown has led have faced scrutiny from environmental advocates and the feds in recent years. Some groups protesting pollution in the 85-mile area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans – dubbed “Cancer Alley” by critics – have accused DEQ of harboring problematically close ties with industry.

Louisiana’s Departments of Environmental Quality and Health have been the subjects of an EPA civil rights investigation into permitting practices.

Louisiana transportation chief Shawn Wilson quit his post atop the Department of Transportation and Development last month — weeks before Wilson announced he will run for governor this fall.

Edwards is term-limited and cannot seek re-election this year.