Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty this week announced the retirement of Daniel Desmond, Deputy Secretary for Energy and Technology Deployment at DEP.

Secretary McGinty announced that Daniel Griffiths, a 30-year veteran of the energy and electricity industries and state government, has been named to replace Desmond.

Desmond, who has served the Commonwealth for 17 years and helped guide the growth of Pennsylvania’s renewable energy industry, will leave office at the end of the week.

“Dan Desmond has been a visionary when it comes to developing a cleaner, greener, more sustainable Pennsylvania,” said Secretary McGinty. “He has a passion for energy issues and his breadth of knowledge on the subject, which is apparent if you’ve spent any length of time with him, has been incredibly valuable.

“Dan has been an extraordinary public servant, an exceptional leader in making clean technology a reality instead of a pipedream, and more importantly, he has been a cherished friend. All of us at DEP will miss him dearly.”

Desmond joined the Pennsylvania Energy Office in 1983 and served as its executive director until its merger with DEP in 1995.

From April 1995 until his appointment as deputy secretary in May 2003, he chaired the Pennsylvania Energy Resources Center, an advocacy and public education project to secure funding for renewable energy in the aftermath of utility deregulation.

He also served as president of Sustainable Systems Research, a Lancaster-based firm specializing in the development and commercialization of environmentally beneficial technology.

In his position as deputy secretary, Desmond is responsible for fostering the deployment and use of innovative environmental and advanced energy technologies, including renewable energy.

The Office of Energy and Technology Deployment works with citizen's groups, businesses, trade organizations, local governments and communities to help them understand and adopt pollution prevention and energy efficiency practices.

Secretary McGinty credited Desmond with playing a leading role in crafting Pennsylvania’s ambitious Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Act, which requires that at least 18 percent of all retail electricity sold in the state by 2021 be derived from advanced energy sources. Along with the state’s strategic investments in the industry, the law has helped drive more than $1 billion in private investment in Pennsylvania in projects that have created 3,000 jobs.

Desmond’s work was also integral to helping Gov. Rendell to establish the Energy Harvest program and expand the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant program. Since it began in 2003, Energy Harvest has invested nearly $26 million and leveraged $66 million in private investments.

The Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant was increased under Gov. Rendell to support energy security by investing in companies that produce and market homegrown biofuels and consumers that purchase hybrid vehicles.

Daniel Griffiths had previously served as the director of DEP's Bureau of Energy, Innovations and Technology Deployment – a position to which he was appointed in March 2007.

"Dan brings a tremendous work ethic to this position and thorough understanding of how the energy and electricity industries work," said Secretary McGinty. "He has worked tirelessly to help us build a new energy economy in Pennsylvania and has been at the forefront of Governor Rendell's efforts to protect consumers from the double-digit electricity rate increases that are just around the corner. His drive, his experience and his exceptional talents will be tremendously valuable to the administration in his new role."

Before arriving at DEP, Griffiths worked for nearly seven years as a senior analyst with the state's Office of Consumer Advocate. There, he represented consumer interests in cases before the electricity grid operator PJM and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He also helped develop policies on renewable energy, distributed energy, and demand-side management, and analyzed energy supplies, prices and markets.

From 1979 to 1997, Griffiths worked with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in roles of increasing responsibility, starting as a research analyst and later as the manager of planning and research in the Bureau of Consumer Services. During his last seven years with the PUC, he served as the energy assistant to then-Commissioner David W. Rolka.

Griffiths worked as a senior level executive in the private sector after leaving the PUC. He served as vice president for corporate development at New Energy Ventures, the director of operations at the Energy Cooperative Association of Pennsylvania, and as a senior consultant for Customized Energy Solutions.

Griffiths holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Lehigh University and has completed courses towards a master's degree in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University.

NewsClip: E-Town Retiree An Energy Policy Guru

6/20/2008