OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

Jane T. Nishida, Secretary of the Environment

2500 Broening Highway
Baltimore, MD 21224 (410) 631-3084

Appointed by the Governor with Senate advice
and consent, the Secretary of the Environment
heads the Department. The Secretary appoints the
Deputy Secretary with the Governor's approval.
In addition to administrative responsibilities, the
Secretary of the Environment (or the Secretary's
designee) is authorized to subpoena any person or
evidence, administer oaths, and take depositions and
other testimony. The Secretary also investigates the
influence of locality, employment, habit, and other
conditions on health and researches the causes of
diseases and mortality, to the extent that they may
relate to environmental factors. To obtain information
about causes and incidence of cancers, the Secretary
may institute studies.
The Secretary serves on the Governor's Execu-
tive Council, the Maryland Advisory Commission
on Manufacturing Competitiveness, the Gover-
nor's Council on the Chesapeake Bay, the Gover-
nor's Pesticide Council, the Chesapeake Bay Trust,
the State Soil Conservation Committee, the Bot-
tled Water Advisory Committee, the Scenic and
Wild Rivers Review Board, the Implementation
Committee of the Chesapeake Executive Council,
and the Interdepartmental Advisory Committee for

Minority Affairs. The Secretary also chairs the As-
bestos Oversight Committee and serves on the
Appalachian States Low-Level Radioactive Waste
Commission, the Ozone Transport Commission,
and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

POLICY COORDINATION

J. Charles Fox, Assistant Secretary
for Policy Coordination
(410) 631-4187

Policy Coordination began in 1995. The Assis-
tant Secretary advises the Secretary of the Environ-
ment and Deputy Secretary on policy for permit
efficiency and regulatory streamlining, strategic
planning and evaluation, and federal and State
budget coordination.
The Assistant Secretary oversees the Office of
Budget, the Environmental Permits Service Center,
and Public Information and Community Assis-
tance. The office also is responsible for audit serv-
ices, fair practice, legislation, and quality and
management development.

OFFICE OF BUDGET
Patricia E. Crosby, Acting Director
(410) 631-4155

The Office of Budget was formed in 1995 to
combine the functions of capital and operating
budget management with those of bond sale and