The governor’s office announced today that Dept. of Environmental Quality Director Steven Chester will leave his job on Jan. 4 and Deputy Director Jim Sygo will lead the department until Jan 17 when the DEQ and Department of Natural Resources merge and receive new leadership.

Director Chester will be leaving to return to the practice of law, specializing in environmental counseling and litigation. Director Chester has served as head of the DEQ since 2003 and has overseen numerous reforms of the department’s operations that have streamlined services and made it one of the most efficient and effective environmental agencies in the nation. Chester also championed significant changes to Michigan’s environmental laws that will ensure Michigan’s natural resources will remain protected for generations to come.

In an interview earlier this year Chester told Michigan Messenger that development of the state’s environmental justice plan was an important priority for him.

Last Friday DEQ published a draft of that plan.