Bryn Mawr's Krancer Stepping Down as DEP Secretary

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Mike Krancer, of Bryn Mawr, will step down April 15 to return home to practice law. 

“Secretary Krancer has been an invaluable member of our team and I am grateful for his service,’’ Governor Tom Corbett said March 22. “His impressive efforts at DEP have taken the agency back to basics, protecting the environment and making the permitting process more efficient.
 
Corbett appointed Krancer to his cabinet in January 2011, where Krancer oversaw many major initiatives, including the reorganization of the agency, which created an Oil and Gas deputate and improved consistency statewide in enforcing that industry’s regulations.

Krancer also oversaw the Permit Review Process and Permit Decision Guarantee, which have brought timeliness and consistency to the permitting process for all agency-regulated activities.
 
In April 2011, Krancer and the governor issued a call to Marcellus Shale operators to stop delivering shale gas drilling wastewater to plants that were not equipped to fully treat it, which resulted in a sea change overnight and improved the health of Pennsylvania’s waterways.
 
Krancer also made brownfields redevelopment and abandoned mine reclamation projects around the state a priority and oversaw the implementation of the Covered Device Recycling Act.

Krancer and his agency were also instrumental in facilitating new investments and potential investments around the state, including his role in Governor Corbett’s team efforts to save the three southeastern Pennsylvania refineries and attract to them new environmentally responsible investors, employers and projects.

“I owe a tremendous amount of thanks and appreciation to all of the talented, dedicated, hard-working professionals at DEP with whom I have been privileged to work as their Secretary,” Krancer said.
 
DEP has 2,633 employees and a $655 million budget.
 
Krancer will rejoin his former law firm, Blank Rome LLP, an international law firm based in Philadelphia.

In addition to his previous legal work at Blank Rome, Krancer, 55, served as a judge on the state’s Environmental Hearing Board for 10 years, including four years as chief judge and chairman. He has also worked as an attorney for Exelon Corp.

This information was provided by Dept. of Environmental Protection.