Secretary Norton Appoints Jason Peltier
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science

Washington - Interior Secretary Gale Norton has appointed Jason Peltier of California as deputy assistant secretary for Water and Science. Peltier will assist Assistant Secretary Bennett Raley and Principal Deputy Assistant Tom Weimer in management oversight and policy direction for the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey.

“Jason Peltier has distinguished himself for the last two years as a key advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Water and Science,” Norton said, “where he has engaged in the development and implementation of policies that affected the 31 million urban customers and farmers on the 10 million acres of farmland served by the Bureau of Reclamation. His long experience in working on water and resource issues, both inside and out of government, is of great value to the department.”

Peltier has recently worked with the California Bay Delta Authority and served in a federal leadership role in coordinating and managing the participation of the ten federal agencies engaged with the CALFED process. In addition he fills a lead role for the Assistant Secretary in managing the work to complete construction of the Central Utah Project.

As manager of the California’s Central Valley Project Water Association from 1998 through 2001, he directed the education and advocacy efforts of this not-for-profit membership organization. His efforts resulted in programs and strategies that strove for the sensible use of water for the agricultural and urban uses of Central Valley Project water. In addition, he served in a leadership role among the agricultural, urban and environmental communities in assuring that monies for environmental improvement projects were sensibly invested.

Peltier is a fourth generation Californian where he graduated from Chico State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. He currently resides in Great Falls, VA., with his wife, Jean-Mari, and their two children.
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