HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Richard Negrin has resigned and is on medical leave until December 9, sources tell abc27’s Dennis Owens.
Negrin was Pennsylvania’s first Latino to be Secretary of Environmental Protection and previously served as the Vice President of Regulatory Policy and Strategy and head of external affairs at Commonwealth Edison.
He recently appeared with Governor Shapiro at an Oct. 18 event highlighting the administration’s work to cap and plug orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells.
DEP Secretary Rich Negrin with Donald A. Brucker, Allegheny County Deputy Fire Marshal, at the site of an explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge Neighborhood on Monday, August 21, 2023. “From the moment DEP was called in to investigate, our experts have worked tirelessly alongside county officials and partner agencies to aid in identifying the cause,” said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin. “Our emergency response team, geologists, and members of the Oil and Gas District Operations will continue to have boots on the ground in the days ahead, as we exhaust every relevant resource in our scope of jurisdiction.” 
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks to the press. Governor Josh Shapiro, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) highlighted the Shapiro Administration’s historic work to cap and plug orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells across Pennsylvania. OCTOBER 18, 2023 – BURGETTSTOWN, PA 
DEP Secretary Rich Negrin with Greg Renko, Rustic Ridge Estates Home Owners Association president and Allegheny County Police officer, at the site of an explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge Neighborhood on Monday, August 21, 2023. “From the moment DEP was called in to investigate, our experts have worked tirelessly alongside county officials and partner agencies to aid in identifying the cause,” said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin. “Our emergency response team, geologists, and members of the Oil and Gas District Operations will continue to have boots on the ground in the days ahead, as we exhaust every relevant resource in our scope of jurisdiction.”
“I am humbled that Governor-Elect Shapiro has entrusted me with the great responsibility of leading this Administration’s efforts to protect our Commonwealth’s air, land, and water,” said Negrin after his nomination earlier this year. “As Secretary of Environmental Protection, I will work diligently to bring people together and ensure the Department works efficiently and we effectively serve all Pennsylvanians in pursuit of a safer, healthier future.”
Executive Deputy Secretary Jess Shirley will take over temporarily while the search for a permanent replacement continues.
Shirley previously served as the Department’s Policy Director from May 2016 to April 2022 helping develop executive orders related to PFAS, climate change, energy conservation, sustainability in Commonwealth operations, and environmental justice. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Penn State and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
