Nixon names new Dept. of Natural Resources director

Governor Jay Nixon has picked a new Director for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Sarah Parker Pauley, 45, will succeed former Director Mark Templeton, who left the DNR to run a trust fund for victims of the BP oil spill. She told reporters her priorities include promoting clean energy use.
"Environmental stewardship and economic growth are not mutually exclusive," Pauley told reporters at a press conference in Columbia. "My experience in the private sector as well as in government has made it clear to me that public policy works best when all stakeholders work together."
Templeton had a rocky relationship with some Republican lawmakers during his tenure at DNR, due to the 2009 controversy surrounding E. coli levels at the Lake of the Ozarks.
Pauley expressed confidence that she'll be able to work well with the legislature.
"I obviously am going to do my very best to insure that there is a strong communication channel with the legislature, and I think that's a great aspect of being DNR Director...insuring that those communication avenues are there," Pauley said.
Pauley served as DNR's Deputy Director from 2001-2005 under former Governor Bob Holden(D). She currently works as a project manager for a public relations firm.
The Missouri Senate will also have to sign off on her appointment. Lawmakers return to the Capitol next month.