Those who have hope for scientific management of natural resources with a minimum of politics in the incoming Obama Administration might be in for a disappointment. The highly respected Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility – PEER – has serious reservations about Lisa Jackson who President Elect Barack Obama has nominated to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
According to Jeff Ruch, the organization's executive director, many professionals in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which Jackson has headed for the past 31 months have been unhappy with the way she has managed the agency.
“DEP employees describe Ms. Jackson as embracing a highly politicized approach to environmental decision making that resulted in suppression of scientific information, issuance of gag orders restricting disclosures and threats against professional staff members who dared to voice concerns,” wrote Ruch.
Gee, that sounds just like what the Bush administration has been doing with many environmental and public lands issues. And, if PEER is correct, Senators at Jackson's confirmation hearings need to ask some pointed questions. We don't need more of the same.
He was critical of Jackson's record on toxic waste cleanup and greenhouse gas controls.
For detailed information, log on to www.peer.org.
– Tom Wharton