by The Associated Press
Gov. Joe Manchin has appointed the deputy secretary of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to head up the agency.
Manchin announced Randy Huffman's promotion on Friday.
Huffman replaces Stephanie Timmermeyer, who last month announced plans to resign after five years in the post.
Huffman is a West Virginia native. Besides being deputy secretary, he is also director of the Division of Mining Reclamation.
Manchin said Huffman's 21 years of experience with DEP made him an obvious choice for the position.
Timmermeyer, who had planned to resign July 1, has decided to leave the agency at the end of the month. Huffman takes over on May 1.
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