Home

MB - Farm Front

The Georgia Board of Natural Resources appointed F. Allen Barnes as the Director of the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Oct. 28.

Barnes served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 office in Atlanta from 2002-2005.  While at EPA, he worked with senior management and staff on compliance, permitting, enforcement and policy matters related to air and water pollution, and solid and hazardous waste management.

Previously Barnes was a prosecutor in the Florida State Attorney’s Office, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Pensacola, Florida, and a lawyer/mediator in private practice.  He most recently was a partner in King & Spalding’s environmental practice.  Barnes earned his law degree from the University Of Mississippi School Of Law and he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of West Florida.

Under Georgia law the EPD Director is appointed by the Board of Natural Resources with the approval of the Governor.  Barnes replaces Carol Couch, who served as EPD Director for more than six years and recently accepted a faculty position at the University of Georgia’s College of Environment and Design. His appointment became effective Oct. 29.

Georgia EPD is a state agency charged with protecting Georgia’s air, land and water resources through the authority of state and federal environmental statues.  These laws regulate public and private facilities in the areas of air quality, water quality, hazardous waste, water supply, solid waste, surface mining, underground storage tanks, and others.  EPD issues and enforces all state permits in these matters.