Steve Santarsiero talking to voters.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
Bucks County residents should have an easy time recognizing the name of Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s newest appointee.
Lower Makefield resident Steve Santarsiero, who many Bucks residents will know from his time as a state representative and his recent run against Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, was appointed on Thursday by Shapiro to be chief deputy attorney general of the Environmental Protection Section.
“Environmental crimes impact the health of Pennsylvania families and undermine our constitution, which says everyone has the right to clean air, pure water and the preservation of their natural environment,” Shapiro said in a press release. “That’s why I’m appointing Steve Santarsiero as Chief Deputy Attorney General to lead our efforts to take on and prosecute cases against anyone or any company that breaks the law and harms our environment.”
Santarsiero, a Democrat, will be in charge of prosecuting polluters across three divisions of the attorney general’s office. They include criminal, civil and public protection cases.
Santarsiero has more than a decade litigating environmental cases, including citizens seeking relief under the federal Clean Water Act.
“I’m honored to be appointed by Attorney General Shapiro to lead our renewed efforts to protect the environment and prosecute polluters who threaten or harm our natural resources,” Santarsiero said in a press release. “I’ve spent a great deal of my career working to protect the environment. That experience has prepared me to implement Attorney General Shapiro’s vision of an environmental section that does more than ever before to hold polluters to account and protect our natural resources for generations to come.”
“The Office of Attorney General takes environmental crimes seriously,” Shapiro said. “I’m pleased we’ve appointed an experienced attorney and advocate for the environment to lead our efforts to protect Pennsylvanians’ rights every day across our Commonwealth.”
In addition to standing up for the environment as an attorney, Santarsiero stood up for the environment as a state representative, where he worked to regulate the fracking industry and persuaded the then-Gov. Ed Rendell from leasing state land for natural gas drilling.
