Governor Terry Branstad forced out a senior official in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources this week. The DNR on Monday announced Wayne Gieselman’s resignation as administrator of the department’s Environmental Protection Division. In that press release, which I’ve posted below, DNR Director Roger Lande thanked Gieselman “for his many years of dedicated service,” without indicating whether the resignation was voluntary. Perry Beeman reports in today’s Des Moines Register that Gieselman was told to pack his bags.

More details are after the jump.

From Beeman’s story, I was told to resign position, DNR chief regulator says:

Gieselman wouldn’t say whether the governor told him directly, or left it to Roger Lande, his appointee and the agency’s director. But one of them ousted him, he confirmed.

Other sources said Gieselman told them the governor ordered him out within four days.

“He just wanted to have his own team,” Gieselman said.

Asked why the governor didn’t make a change sooner, Gieselman said the governor apparently wanted to wait until after the legislative session ended to take the action.

Other changes at DNR include the departure of deputy director Pat Boddy and the reassignment of Chuck Corell from water-quality chief to head of the conservation and recreation division.

Gieselman was highly-regarded in the Iowa environmental community. Having worked for the Iowa Natural Resources Council from 1974 to 1982, he served on that council, the Water Air and Waste Management Commission and the Environmental Protection Commission during the 1980s. Gieselman came back to work at the DNR during the first year of Tom Vilsack’s tenure as governor.

His successor is Bill Ehm, who owns a poultry farm in Union County and a grain farm in Clinton County. Branstad appointed Ehm to the state Environmental Protection Commission during the 1980s and 1990s. Since then Ehm has held several positions in the DNR and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Most recently, he has coordinated water policy for the DNR since 2007.

During last year’s gubernatorial campaign, Branstad repeatedly complained that the DNR imposed too-strict regulations on Iowa farmers. Speaking to Beeman,

Ehm said he won’t be afraid to fine or otherwise penalize scofflaws. At the same time, he supports voluntary programs, too, and believes DNR needs to better explain its actions.

No one told him to hold back on enforcement in any industry, Ehm said, and he won’t go easy on farmers just because he is one. “They need to be dealt with if they are treating farming in a reckless manner. But I don’t know if we should be out there nitpicking people.”

I don’t consider it “nitpicking” to enforce pollution rules on farmers. Iowa has some of the worst water quality in the country, in large part because of runoff from conventional farm operations. Air quality in this state has deteriorated as well, and CAFOs are one source of that problem. I hope Ehm will be able to do his job without interference from other Branstad administration officials. Whether or not anyone told him to “hold back” on enforcement, the governor’s views on this matter are clear. Just look at his appointees to the Environmental Protection Commission.

Iowa Environmental Council Executive Director Marian Riggs Gelb commented to this blog today, “We understand that changes in top officials take place when administrations change.  Wayne’s long-time Iowa expertise on behalf of protecting our natural resources will be a big loss for this state. We look forward to working with Bill Ehm and believe he has an excellent background to bring to the table.”

Neila Seaman, director of the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, told me today,

“It doesn’t surprise me that Governor Branstad forced Gieselman out of the DNR. Wayne is fair to all stakeholders and that was probably his downfall. We’ve seen the Branstad administration move toward more voluntary compliance and that means less environmental protection. The Sierra Club will continue in its role to ensure environmentally protective rules are enforced.”

I wonder how many more state officials have been pressured to resign since the legislature finally finished its marathon session. Earlier this month, two elected officers of the Board of Regents stepped down before the end of their terms to make way for Branstad appointees. Last week the governor made headlines by docking the pay of the Workers Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey. Godfrey had declined Branstad’s request that he resign nearly five years before the end of his fixed term in office. Democratic State Representative Chuck Isenhart is seeking a legislative review of what he described as a “strong-arm tactic” by the governor. The Des Moines rumor mill suggests that Godfrey may pursue a legal claim against the Branstad administration. He has received good performance reviews as commissioner, and Branstad admitted that he wants to replace Godfrey because a business group told him “in no uncertain terms that they were not happy” with the commission’s work.

Any relevant thoughts are welcome in this thread. Here is the July 18 press release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources:

Environmental Protection Division Administrator Wayne Gieselman Resigning

Posted: 07/18/2011

DES MOINES – Wayne Gieselman, administrator of the Environmental Protection Division of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, is resigning the post effective Thursday, July 21st.

Gieselman, 62, has held the position since April of 2002. He joined the DNR in 1999 as the coordinator of the department’s animal feeding operations program.

“The citizens of Iowa are very fortunate to have the dedicated and highly knowledgeable people serving in the Department of Natural Resources. It has been an honor and privilege serving with them and learning from them over the past 12 years,” said Gieselman.

Bill Ehm, 58, has been named the administrator for the Environmental Protection Division.

Ehm has served as the water policy coordinator for DNR since 2007. Prior to that, he served as director of the Soil and Conservation Division for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and was previously the coordinator for the DNR’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) water quality program. He farmed full-time for more than 20 years and he and his wife continue to own a cash grain farm in Clinton County and a livestock operation in Union County. He is a former commissioner for the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission

“I have full confidence in Bill to lead the Environmental Protection Division. He has a wide range of knowledge and experience,” said DNR Director Roger Lande.

“I also want to thank Wayne for his many years of dedicated service to the DNR and people of Iowa,” Lande added.