On December 27, 2013, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced she would resign in January 2013 after the President’s State of the Union Address. It’s common for an EPA Administrator to step down after serving a full 4 year term of a President (which is the case for Jackson, who was nominated and confirmed very early in 2009). President Obama thanked the Administrator, who returned thanks and explained to reporters she didn’t have another job lined up but was looking forward to spending more time with family and additional opportunities down the road. Some insiders speculate she’s a potential candidate for heading up a major university such as Princeton or running for public office at the Federal or State level.
According to Ben Grumbles, President of the U.S. Water Alliance: “Lisa worked hard and pushed hard as well to advance the President’s environmental agenda. She picked some fights, won some battles, and improved environmental and public health protection on several key fronts. She’ll be remembered most for her work on climate change, coal, and clean air, but there were also some major, and sometimes controversial, actions and proposals involving water during her tenure.” For example:
- Chesapeake Bay TMDL pollution budget
- Waters of the U.S. Draft Guidance
- Mountain top mining actions under the Clean Water Act
- Nutrient water quality framework, including Florida numeric nutrient criteria and standards
- Green infrastructure strategy, including consent agreements with some cities and national ARRA infrastructure funding
- Wet weather integrated municipal planning and permitting framework
- New regulatory strategy under the Safe Drinking Water Act, as well as decisions to move forward on perchlorate and chromium 6
- New drinking water regulations on total coliform/bacteria, airline drinking water quality, and carbon sequestration underground
- Hydraulic fracturing research and risk management relating to shale gas and coalbed methane
- Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement revisions with Canada
- BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill response
- Gulf of Mexico restoration strategy
The Administration hasn’t signaled yet who will succeed Jackson. Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe will likely serve as Acting Administrator during the interim. Many believe Perciasepe is the leading candidate for the top spot. The former EPA Assistant Administrator (for both Air and Water), Maryland state and local environmental official, and executive at the National Audubon Society also served as a member of the Board of the U.S. Water Alliance (formerly Clean Water America Alliance) before being tapped by President Obama to be Jackson’s Deputy.
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