President-elect Barack Obama is set to nominate one of our own local politicians to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
With that nomination comes another historic appointment. New Jersey’s Lisa P. Jackson will be the first-ever African American to take charge of the EPA and lead the federal government’s environmental protection efforts, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Currently, Jackson is Governor John Corzine’s chief of staff and has been his top environmental official for about three years. She was the environmental protection commissioner of New Jersey for close to three years.
Jackson has 20 years of experience as an environmental officer at the federal, regional, and state levels.
But, on the flipside, others believe Jackson doesn't always follow through with some of her major environmental initiatives. For example, Jackson's department supposedly missed a deadline on how to meet the needs of Gov. Corzine's plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent.
Here's a little taste of some of the gossip stirring around about the nomination:
politickernj.com: "Lisa Jackson's bold and visionary leadership has helped transform New Jersey's environmental landscape with innovative and forward-thinking policies in key areas such as climate change, renewable energy, hazardous site remediation and ocean protection," --Assemblyman John F. McKeon wrote in a letter to President-elect Barack Obama.
Philadelphia Inquirer: "Lisa Jackson is probably a nice, personable person who does not have a skeleton in her closet. But the record that she compiled when she headed the agency was a horrendous record," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a frequent Jackson critic.
app.com: "From fighting global warming and promoting a clean energy future to improving the quality of our air and water, she understands we need real leadership to rebound from the neglect of the last eight years,"-- Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J.said in a prepared statement.
agweb.com: "The decisions, rulings, and actions produced under Jackson's administration at [the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection] have been nothing short of appalling," --Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) released in a letter to Obama.
philly.com: "She's just real. She'll always give you the straight deal. Whether it's something you want to hear or not," said Dena Mottola, executive director of Environment New Jersey.
