The following was an editorial in the Charleston Gazette on January 7

Barb Taylor was the only section chief in the state Division of Environmental Protection who did not have industry ties.

In his column two weeks ago, Gazette editorial page editor Dan Radmacher wrote, "It makes you wonder how long she’ll last under [DEP Director Mike Castle]."

The answer came this week. Taylor, chief of DEP’s Office of Water Resources, is on her way out. She accepted a position as director of the state Bureau for Public Health’s Office of Environmental Health Services.

If Castle’s past behavior and comments are any indication, Taylor will be replaced by yet another industry figure, making all seven of his top aides recent transplants from the industries that DEP is supposed to be regulating.

Castle sees nothing wrong with this. In fact, he wants industry appointees to populate DEP.

"I think you have to have experience in the industry to understand the process," he said. "To regulate an industry, you have to have experience in that industry. How else would you get the experience?"

There are plenty of people who have the experience to run the Office of Water Resources – even if they never worked a day for industry. Castle could find someone with a degree in environmental sciences. He could find a lawyer who has worked for environmental groups on permit issues. He could promote a regulator from within DEP.

We’d love to challenge Castle to find such a person, but there is probably little point.

Instead, we’ll save him a trip to the phone book. Dial 340-1000. That’s the number for Jackson & Kelly, the state’s most prominent law firm representing industry. If a lawyer there doesn’t want the job, surely the firm could recommend an appropriately industry-friendly person for the position.