Wolf's environmental chief is out, following email controversy

• Marie Cusick
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  Marie Cusick was the Harrisburg reporter for StateImpact Pennsylvania.

State Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Quigley resigned Friday afternoon, following several news reports about a controversial email he sent last month to environmental groups.
Governor Tom Wolf issued a statement thanking Quigley for his service, without offering any details about the nature of his departure.
“The email is the straw that broke the camel’s back,” says a source close to the Wolf administration. “[Quigley] has no relationships with the legislature and has angered a lot of people within the administration. It’s a long line of things that have become a problem.”
Capitolwire first reported Thursday Quigley sent an email chastising the environmental groups for not doing enough to support DEP’s revised oil and gas regulations, as well as new federal clean air regulations. The drilling rules have faced stiff opposition from the industry and the Republican-led legislature.
DEP Director of Policy Patrick McDonnell will serve as Acting Secretary for the department.
Quigley did not immediately respond to requests to comment Friday afternoon.

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