Statements from Mayor de Blasio, DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd and Sustainability Director Nilda Mesa

June 30, 2016

The de Blasio administration announced today that the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection Emily Lloyd will be retiring following a previously announced one-month medical leave of absence. Commissioner Lloyd oversaw a $5 billion upgrade of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and activated the Croton Water Filtration Plant, which helps deliver the cleanest drinking water to New Yorkers. She also played a key role in expanding our nationally recognized Green Infrastructure Program, which helped complete 2,000 additional curbside rain gardens that help improve the health of local waterways while beautifying neighborhoods and cleaning the air. Vincent Sapienza, P.E., will serve as Acting Commissioner effective immediately. Sapienza has served the City for over 33 years, all of which have been with the Department of Environmental Protection.

Statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio:

“Commissioner Lloyd has been a dedicated public servant throughout most of her 40-year career. As Commissioner of DEP, she made it her duty to ensure that all New Yorkers were receiving the cleanest drinking water in the United States and that the City’s infrastructure was both eye capturing and environmentally conscious. Commissioner Lloyd always had the health of New Yorkers and the environment in mind with the work she helped lead. While I am saddened to see such a dedicated public servant go, I wish her well in her retirement.”

Statement from Commissioner Emily Lloyd:

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of New York alongside the 6,000 professionals at the Department of Environmental Protection. Every single day we work to provide critical services – such as high-quality drinking water – that allows the City to grow and thrive. I thank Mayor de Blasio for his leadership and his steadfast commitment to protecting public health and the environment. While I am saddened to be leaving, I know DEP will continue its important work under the strong leadership of Vincent Sapienza and the talented and experienced senior managers who operate the largest municipal water utility in the nation."

Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Nilda Mesa will be leaving City government to spend time with her family and explore new opportunities. Dan Zarrilli, who was promoted to Senior Director for Climate Policy and Programs last winter, will continue to oversee the administration’s sustainability efforts as we complete a search for a new MOS director.

Statement from Mayor Bill de Blasio:

“Over the last two years, my administration has aggressively implemented an unparalleled sustainability plan, from our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 and the launch of OneNYC, to specific action plans creating greener buildings and the establishment of a clean fleet of City vehicles. Nilda has been essential in our efforts to create a more sustainable city, and we are grateful for her work.”

Statement from Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Nilda Mesa:

It was a privilege for this immigrant to serve the Mayor and New Yorkers as the first Director of the merged Office of Sustainability, and to work with the City Council and other partners. We set tough new energy-saving and sustainability requirements for City buildings, tripled solar, put into motion the transformation of New York City’s electric grid, and set the gold standard for urban sustainability with OneNYC, infusing equity into sustainability. Our environmental reviews are now online and transparent. Our comprehensive building strategies will cut carbon and clean up our air, while new ferries and select bus service also are putting us on the path to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. I’m proud of the work we’ve done.”