Jason Batchelder has been tapped to become the new Commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Batchelder had retired in 2022 after serving as the Colonel of the Vermont Fish and Game Warden Service since 2014. He comes back to supervise a department of 300 employees. He tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley that he’s eager to return to the DEC because of the people he will be working with:
I'm looking at this as a group of vocationally-driven conservation-minded individuals. And that's where I've been in the last 20 years. And I really, I can't pass up an opportunity to be with folks like that, who really want to base their entire working life on something that they wanted to do as a child. That was what all the wardens and all the staff at Fish Wildlife wanted to do, where I used to work, and I see the same thing in DEC.
Now you're coming out of retirement to take this position?
That's correct.
So how did they convince you, above and beyond working with all of the staff that you have just praised, how did they convince you to come out of retirement? Because it is more than just staff. Its policy and everything else.
Oh, sure. It's, um, there are a whole bunch of little carrots for me. It's at a time in my life where I feel like I'm not opposed to another challenge. The leadership appeals to me as well. I've always liked to kind of be in the circle of folks that are steering the ship. And these opportunities don't get presented to everyone. And I know that kind of sounds maybe elitist. But I feel like if someone offers a chance like this, that that I'm, I'm obliged to take it. I feel like this doesn't get offered to everyone on the planet or far from it. And I feel like it's something that I owe to myself and to the establishment to give it a go.
Commissioner, you are quoted in the governor's press release as saying: “embracing the opportunities for environmental innovation and progress that lies ahead.” What is that environmental innovation that you see ahead for Vermont?
What a great question. I believe that that challenge lies with making Vermont a place where we can not only tackle environmental challenges but make them commonplace and affordable for Vermonters who are perhaps not in a position to lead their lifestyles in a way that others do. I mean, not everyone is going to be able to alter their life, their vehicle, their heating system, their wastewater system immediately and affordably. And I think that those challenges fall to myself and to the staff and to make them affordable, to make them more accessible to the Vermonter who may not have these challenges in the front of their mind.
So Commissioner Batchelder, how does that fit in and mesh with how the DEC would be implementing Vermont's Global Warming Solutions Act and the climate action plan? Because that's something that, you know, has been moving forward in the state and I'm sure the DEC is quite involved in.
There's no doubt, Pat, the short answer is I don't know. That is the short answer. I will be picking this up and learning as I go. But that is my personal goal and my personal opinion. The policy and plan is something that I am getting into the weeds on but I just don't know the answer to that.
So with all of the varied and diverse areas that the DEC does manage, what priorities are you setting, planning to set, for the department?
Priorities for me include, they're very simple. I need to meet the staff and I need to realize their priorities, and I need to make them feel supported, and I need to make them feel protected and sheltered to do the job that they have set themselves on a course to do. My priorities will emerge no doubt over the course of time but right now, it's meeting the staff, seeing what challenges that they feel are their priorities and then adjusting to make them my own. I feel like the staff looks to a commissioner for those qualities, you know, someone that you know, probably a lot of them are thinking hopefully this person won't get in our way while we lay out our science and charge on. But I want to meet the folks. I want to hear their challenges and I want to make sure that they're supported. Those would be my priorities right off the bat.
Well, you mentioned you want to make sure they're sheltered. What do you mean by that?
Well, I think that's a great question. I think that the limelight and the and state government can be a challenging place for people who are trying to fulfill a mission that not everyone is accepting of. And I'm not going to get too far into the weeds. I just feel like that employees need to be supported from their leaders in all ways. If they feel that they need to take a rabbit hole and go down it, I will, you know, support them as long as it aligns with the administration and the mission. And that's what I meant. I feel like that might have been a challenging word. But I feel like a leader in my position, I need to go to bat for the people if they if they need it.
Commissioner, obviously we're seeing the impacts of global warming. The flooding in July a lot of people are attributing to global warming impacts. How challenging Do you think that the impacts of global warming will be for the Vermont DEC?
I think they're the ultimate challenge for us. We've seen so much evidence just from me in my position as a civilian where I sit right now. It's all people talk about. It's all people think about. It's affected everyone's life, most acutely this past July with the flooding. But I think that challenge is going to be a large percentage of what the office faces.
How much time will you get to spend in the field?
As much as possible. I think every position I've had since, I don't know 2013, I have hoped I would be in the field more. And I've yet to find someone who has found a balance that allows them to get there enough to make them happy. I'm going to try to make that a priority of meeting the folks within the department. And so maybe I'll have some luck. But I'm not I'm not going to cross my fingers for any long stints in the field. I really want to get out there, shake as many hands as I can and understand what the folks in the department are doing. And that'll be my field time. So I've got my fingers crossed for that especially, you know, in the most magical season that Vermont has right. I hate to think of running into the office in October when foliage is here.
Jason Batchelder begins his new position as Commissioner of the Vermont DEC today.
