The following is an excerpt from a Press Release on the Maine.gov website. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Mercer at his confirmation hearing before the Environment & Natural Resources Committee on the afternoon of January 11th. GSF

AUGUSTA – January 20, 2016 Governor Paul R. LePage’s nominees for Adjutant General and Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection have been unanimously confirmed by the Maine Senate.

Paul Mercer was confirmed as the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Paul Mercer worked at Maine Maritime Academy since 2006 and held positions as Associate Professor and Department Chair within the Engineering Department. At the Academy, he has also served as a member of the senior leadership team as the Assistant to the President for Sustainability, where he led the recent Strategic Planning process, among other efforts. Mercer has used this role to promote innovation and environmental initiatives at the Academy.

Paul Mercer has an extensive background in environmental issues. He has worked with renewable energy development, solid fuels and biomass energy systems throughout the United States and Canada. This included acting as the lead developer of an energy project resulting in a 50 percent reduction of emissions at the Bucksport paper mill.

Additionally, Mercer was president of Northeast Engineering in Bucksport from 1983 until 2008. The company provided a full range of consulting services to the power generation field, as well as project development of waste wood, biofuels, de-inking and wood products facilities. He also served as president of Bay Engineering from 1978 until 1982.

Mercer earned a bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from Maine Maritime Academy.