Walker's 'chamber of commerce' WI DNR adds another industry figure

This time it's a forestry industry executive to manage the DNR's Forestry Division, according to a DNR news release:

Fred Souba Jr. has been appointed Chief State Forester by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The 40 year forest industry veteran will also serve as administrator for the DNR Division of Forestry.

Currently the owner and Senior Consultant of ProVision Forestry LLC, Souba brings a vast and unique set of skills and forestry experience to the position. Souba has been the chair of the Wisconsin Council on Forestry (exit DNR) for seven years. He has served as Vice President of Wood Supply and Sustainability for NewPage Corporation, which operated pulp and paper mills in Kentucky, Nova Scotia, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin and he brings an international perspective to the position having been the Vice President of Wood Supply U.S. for Stora Enso North America.

The DNR communications staff said the release went up yesterday; the DNR's Forestry division webpage - -

- - says the division administrator is Paul DeLong. He joined DNR in 2003.

Here is a link to earlier such industry-based DNR management appointment:

And the rest of the team, too: 

*  She/Walker appointed as DNR Deputy Secretary an attorney, Matt Moroney, who was formerly Executive Director of the Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee - - one of the WBA's 25 affiliates statewide.

*The DNR also reports that Stepp appointed Pat Stevens, a former WBA general counsel, to run the agency's Division of Waste and Air.

So little surprise that the agency, under Stepp, has punted public protections in key areas - - inspections and enforcement - - and given the Walker's administration's war on public service, the agency response about being short-handed rang pretty hollow.

 And here's another link, with this update about the above-mentioned Pat Stevens:

Today I am hearing that Walker is eliminating the historically-important DNR water division and assigning its work to the current air division chief Pat Stevens, formerly of the Wisconsin  Manufacturers & Commerce (and the builders and, separately, road-builders associations), so he can control a new, super-resources, business-services division that absorbs water planning and conservation. 

For easier obeisance to polluters - - put a corporate ideologue in charge of fewer employees - - thus streamlining policy implementation from the top-down, DNR documents show.

Look at it this way: the forestry folks won't have to resort to old-fashioned hand-delivered memos when they need something from Wisconsin government these days.