NPR : News

Filed Under:

EPA Administrator Jackson Stepping Down

By: Mark Memmott // December 27, 2012
comments

Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is stepping down.

The Associated Press reports that:

"Jackson, 50, a chemical engineer by training, did not point to any particular reason for her departure. Historically, Cabinet members looking to move on will leave at the beginning of a president's second term. 'I will leave the EPA confident the ship is sailing in the right direction, and ready in my own life for new challenges, time with my family and new opportunities to make a difference,' she said in a statement. Jackson gave no exact date for her departure, but will leave after Obama's State of the Union address in late January.

"In a separate statement, Obama said Jackson has been 'an important part of my team.' He thanked her for serving and praised her 'unwavering commitment' to the public's health."

The New York Times writes that Jackson's four years at EPA:

"Began with high hopes of sweeping action to address climate change and other environmental ills but ended with a series of rear-guard actions to defend the agency against challenges from industry, Republicans in Congress and, at times, the Obama White House. ...

"After Republicans seized control of the House in 2010, Ms. Jackson became a favored target of the new Republican majority's aversion to what it termed 'job-killing regulations.' One coal industry official accused her of waging 'regulatory jihad,' and she was summoned to testify before hostile House committees dozens of times in 2011."

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Arts & Culture

NPR

Where's Jimmy Hoffa? Everywhere And Nowhere

FBI agents believe they have a credible lead on the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa's body. If they're right, it will solve a longstanding mystery, which will also deflate Hoffa's resonance in popular culture.

Food

NPR

The Mystery Of the Ridiculously Pricey Bag Of Potatoes

Did a 10-pound bag of potatoes really cost $15 back in 2008? We get to the bottom of some puzzling numbers in the lawsuit alleging America's potato growers have become a spud cartel.

Politics

NPR

House Passes Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks

The legislation is one of the most far-reaching abortion bills in decades and follows the May murder convictions of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell. The bill, which would ban nearly all abortions starting 20 weeks after fertilization, is unlikely to ever become law.

Technology

NPR

U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady

Profits for the nation's carmakers are on the rise, but after years of doing more with less, higher profits are unlikely to translate into significant numbers of new jobs. There are eight fewer plants and hundreds of thousands fewer workers in the industry than before the Great Recession.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.