While environmental and watchdog groups were praising Governor Gavin Newsom for firing California’s top oil and gas regulator after Consumer Watchdog and the FracTracker Alliance released a report showing numerous conflicts of interest among DOGGR staff, the Governor today appointed a new member of the South Coast Air Quality Management Board who formerly worked for ExxonMobil and Northrop Grumman, a global weapons contractor and aerospace corporation.
Newsom hired Negar “Nikki” Noushkam, 44, of Los Angeles, to the South Coast Air Quality Management District Board. Noushkam was environmental project manager and process engineer at ExxonMobil Oil Corporation from 1997 to 2001.
Environmental lawyer Adriano Martinez, the LASmogGuy, responded to the appointment in a tweet:
“Gov Newsom just appointed somebody with a past in polluting industries (eg Exxon) to the South Coast AQMD. It’s a critical swing vote, so just called my Senator & asked him to stand with our lungs over Big Oil & work with his colleagues to block the appointment.”
Noushkam has been senior project manager at Environmental Remediation Services Inc. since 2007 and chief engineer for the Aerospace Corporation since 2015. .
She held several positions at Northrop Grumman from 2004 to 2015, including senior principle engineer, project manager and lead systems and photovoltaic design engineer.
Noushkam was also security assessor lead and project manager for Hudson Marine Management Services from 2001 to 2004.
She is a member of the State Mining and Geology Board at the Department of Conservation. Noushkam earned a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Noushkam is a Democrat.