Environmental Law

Lisa P. Jackson ? Who Is She?

By Walter James

President-elect Barack Obama also appears ready to name Lisa P. Jackson, as the new administrator of the USEPA.  Will that mean more enforcement?  Who knows may be the best answer.   

So, what do we know about Ms. Jackson? 

Ms. Jackson had been the head of New Jersey?s Department of Environmental Protection since 2006 (in early October 2008, Governor Corzine announced that Ms. Jackson would become his chief of staff).  Ms. Jackson has a master?s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton and spent 16 years at the USEPA as a top enforcement officer in Washington and New York.  Most recently, she has led the Obama transition team at the USEPA.

She is 46 years old, born February 8, 1962.  Her work experience includes a sixteen year stint at the USEPA; assistant commissioner for compliance and enforcement at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection from 2002 until 2005; assistant commissioner for land use management at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2005; commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection from 2006 until 2008; and then chief of staff for Governor Corzine from 2008 to present; along with being a member of President-elect Barack Obama?s energy and natural resources transition team. 

She has a bachelor's degree with honors from Tulane?s School of Chemical Engineering and a master's degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University. 

Ms. Jackson, by all accounts has the chops to take on the job.  However, the devil is in the details and the proof in the pudding.  Only time will tell if there will be any real changes at the USEPA on the enforcement front. 

More later.

As always, feel free to contact me by e-mail with any questions at walter.james@jamespllc.com.

WDJiii

Full post as published by Environmental Crimes Blog on December 11, 2008 (boomark / email).