Kenneth Fletcher
WC Monitor
1/16/2015
The South Carolina Board of Health and Environmental Control has tapped Eleanor Kitzman, a former state official in South Carolina and in Texas, to serve as the next director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control following the resignation of Catherine Templeton that took effect Jan. 12. Kitzman’s appointment must now be approved by the governor and is subject to advice and consent of the state’s Senate. DHEC has also named the agency’s General Counsel Marshall Taylor acting director to serve in the interim.
Kitzman previously served for eight months in 2011 as the executive director of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board. She also was a Commissioner for the Texas Department of Insurance from late 2011 through 2013, leaving that post because she was not confirmed by the Texas Senate. She most recently has been a vice president at Starr Insurance Holdings, Inc. Notably, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) in her 2012 memoir cited Kitzman as an inspiration in politics.
Templeton’s departure comes at a key point in SCDHEC’s relationship with the Department of Energy. Templeton led pushback from the state in its strong action against DOE on potential missed milestones for high-level waste tank cleanup at the Savannah River Site, threatening to levy up to $150 million in penalties if the numerous milestones are not met. DOE and the state are also in the midst of the dispute resolution process on a DOE milestone extension request for two high level waste tank closure dates (see related story). “The question is, will the person who replaces her be as tenacious to holding DOE’s feet to the fire?” one Savannah River observer told WC Monitor.
