Curt Fransen, director of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality since February 2012, will retire on May 22, Gov. Butch Otter announced today; Otter said he's in the process of finding a successor. "While perhaps there is no good time for a director to retire, DEQ's structure, staff and performance are sound and DEQ is prepared to address the significant challenges it faces in the coming years," Fransen wrote in a letter informing Otter of his retirement plans.