Warren Elliott lands federal appointment

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced that former Franklin County Commissioner G. Warren Elliott has been appointed by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to serve as the Pennsylvania representative to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The council provides oversight and regulatory authority for ocean waters from three miles to 200 miles offshore.

“This is a tremendous honor for me,” said Elliott. “It was a very competitive and intense process and I greatly appreciate the support of Senator Rich Alloway, Senator Joe Scarnati, Governor Tom Corbett, Congressman Bill Shuster and Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, as well as Penn Future and other environmental-related groups.”

Elliott is attending the next meeting of the council June 14 to 16 in New York. Member states other than Pennsylvania and New York are Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. He will officially begin his duties at the August 2011 meeting and will serve a three year term.

“I am deeply concerned about our aquatic resources, and am committed to devoting my energies to protecting and improving our waters, and water-related habitat and fisheries,” Elliott commented. Elliott is in a unique position to impact water resources as he is the first Pennsylvanian to serve simultaneously as a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commissioner, the citizen representative for Pennsylvania to the Chesapeake Bay Commission, and as the Pennsylvania designee to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

“I firmly believe that water will quickly become as critical to us as oil and gas is today.  In fact, in my opinion it already has.  I want to do whatever I can to help sustain and improve our water resources for future generations, and I believe that being on the Council and commissions will afford me that opportunity,” Elliott concluded.