National Water Resources Association
NEWS RELEASE
López Starts as Principal Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation;
Gimbel Named Acting Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of Interior
For Immediate Release: October 2, 2014
NWRA Contact: Ian Lyle, Director of Federal Affairs, (202) 698-0693
The Department of the Interior has announced that Estevan López will begin his work at the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) as Principal Deputy Commissioner. Mr. Lopez will serve in this capacity pending his confirmation as Commissioner by the United States Senate.
On March 6, 2014, the Department of the Interior announced that Mr. López had been nominated to serve as the next Commissioner at the Bureau of Reclamation, replacing outgoing Commissioner Mike Connor, who left to serve as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior. On June 18, 2014, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources approved Mr. Lopez’s nomination by voice vote, with no members recorded as voting against him. The National Water Resources Association (NWRA) has endorsed the appointment of Mr. López.
Mr. López comes to Reclamation after serving as the Director of the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, a position he has held since 2003. In addition, he has represented the State of New Mexico on water issues on the US/Mexico Border Governors Conference. Mr. López is a registered professional engineer and has Bachelor of Science degrees in both Chemistry and Petroleum Engineering from New Mexico Tech.
Mr. López will replace Lowell Pimley, who has been Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation for the past 6 months. Bob Johnson, NWRA Executive Vice President and former Reclamation Commissioner, noted the good work of Acting Commissioner Pimley during this period. “Lowell has been a tremendous asset to Reclamation. We thank him for his leadership and look forward to continuing to work with him on water resource issues.”
In other news, the Department of Interior announced that Ms. Jennifer Gimbel has been named Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science. Prior to this designation, Ms. Gimbel was the Bureau of Reclamation’s Deputy Commissioner for External and Intergovernmental Affairs overseeing Reclamation’s congressional, legislative, and public affairs activities.
Bob Johnson spoke highly of the two appointments: “Estevan and Jennifer are a great one-two punch on behalf of western water interests. Their vast experience engaging with and representing western state water users will be a great asset to their respective leadership positions. They will be friends to water users and the National Water Resources Association.”
The Department of Interior also announced that Kris Sarri will join Interior as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Management and Budget. Ms. Sarri comes to Interior from the office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President.
Tags: government, policy, water