Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition 2019

Deirdre Buckley
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Review/MEPA Director
Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office


Deirdre Buckley is the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Review and Director of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). She advises EEA Secretary Kathleen Theoharides on the adequacy of environmental review documents and the consistency of development projects with state environmental policy and regulations. She represents the Secretary in meetings with project proponents, municipalities and environmental groups and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the MEPA Office and its staff. Deirdre has over 20 years of experience in environmental policy and project review. She has been MEPA Director for 6 years during a period of strong economic growth and development. She has managed the review of major infrastructure and development projects including Vineyard Wind, Encore Boston Harbor, Suffolk Downs, South Coast Rail and Worcester Polar Park. Prior to joining MEPA, she served as the Assistant Director for Air Policy and Planning at EEA and as a Special Projects Coordinator at the Office of Coastal Zone Management. Deirdre graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1991 with a B.A. in International Affairs and Latin American Studies. She became fluent in Spanish while studying at the University of Costa Rica in San Juan. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her partner, two perfectly behaved children and a small, unruly garden.

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