Katrina Kessler, an engineer and division leader at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, has been named MPCA commissioner.

Gov. Tim Walz announced her appointment on Friday.

"Katrina is a dedicated public servant with a long track record of implementing innovative solutions at both the state and municipal level that are good for the environment and good for business," Walz said.

Kessler will replace Peter Tester, who has been temporarily leading the agency since Commissioner Laura Bishop resigned in July.

The agency oversees the state's pollution laws and acts as a watchdog against violators. Kessler had been an assistant commissioner there since 2019, leading the agency's water policy and agriculture division. Before that, she was a permit engineer with the agency for more than a decade as well as a supervisor and manager. She left the MPCA for a couple of years to work as the director of the city of Minneapolis' surface water and sewers division.

Kessler said in a statement she hopes to build on the agency's work to address PFAS contamination, create a better climate and ensure that those affected by pollution have cleaner air and water.

MPCA, Star Tribune

"We can continue to foster stronger economic growth and protect our natural resources by embracing the best science, local innovation, and Minnesota common sense," she said.

Kessler's appointment is subject to confirmation from the Republican-led Senate, but she can start the job immediately and hold it until the Senate decides to hold a confirmation hearing. Much of Walz's cabinet remains unconfirmed.

Bishop resigned after it seemed certain the Senate would reject her confirmation. She became a target of Senate Republicans after the agency adopted new "clean car" emissions standards pushed by Walz.

During budget negotiations, Republicans threatened to shut down the area of the state budget that funds state parks over the stricter standards, which also called for manufacturers to put more electric vehicles on their lots. They eventually relented on a push to eliminate or delay those standards.

Kessler will start her new post on Monday.

State Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, who chairs one of the main environmental committees in the House, said that Kessler has the experience to hit the ground running.

She is "a capable leader with a broad range of experience to be the next leader of the MPCA," he said.

Greg Stanley • 612-673-4882