Leading the (green) way
June 17th, 2009 | Agriculture Defense Energy Environmental Protection Agency General Services Administration HHS Postal Service Transportation Treasury | Posted by Tim Kauffman
Federal agencies having a tough time meeting the plethora of green government mandates should take a close look at the 15 federal teams who have been recognized this year for spearheading environmentally sustainable practices at their agencies.
Winners of the 2009 White House Closing the Circle Awards — handed out Wednesday during the middle of the three-day 2009 Federal Environmental Symposium East in Bethesda, Md. –Â Â are demonstrating best practices in areas such as recycling, green purchasing and fuel conservation.
The big winner was the Air Force, which received four awards for initiatives under way at local bases and headquarters. The Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office in Denver was the biggest individual winner, taking home two awards.
A complete list of the winners — along with some of their accomplishments — is after the jump.
Tags: environment, green government
Things I didn't know government did: Certify TV prizes are green
May 14th, 2009 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Elise Castelli
As a condo dweller with precious little outdoor space, I naturally love Home and Garden Television (HGTV). And like many network viewers, I’ve drooled over the spacious HGTV “Green Home” in Port St. Lucie, Fla., which the network is raffling off. But I did not realize the home had a government connection: It’s EPA certified!
I also didn’t know EPA certified TV prizes, but according to this EPA press release the home has “earned EPA’s Indoor AirPlus and Energy Star labels.”
Tags: fun
WH announces VA nominees
April 1st, 2009 | Agencies Congress Defense Environmental Protection Agency Interior Transition Veterans Affairs White House | Posted by Rebecca Neal
The White House announced six more political appointees Tuesday, including three for the Veterans Affairs Department.
- Roger Baker, nominee for assistant secretary for information and technology, Veterans Affairs. Baker is the former president and chief executive office of Dataline, a technology company in Norfolk, Va. He also is a former chief information officer of the Commerce Department and served on President Barack Obama’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications policy group during his 2008 presidential campaign.
- William Gunn, nominee for general counsel, VA. He represents military members and veterans in his Northern Virginia law practice. He retired in 2005 from the Air Force, where he was a colonel in the JAG corps.
- John U. Sepúlveda, nominee for assistant secretary of human resources, VA. He is a former deputy director of the Office of Personnel Management, appointed in 1998 by then-President Bill Clinton.
- Anne Castle, nominee for assistant secretary for water and science, Interior Department. She is a partner at Holland & Hart in Denver, where she practices water rights and water quality law.
- Mathy Stanislaus, nominee for assistant administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Environmental Protection Agency. He is an environmental lawyer and chemical engineer and champions revelopment of brownfield sites.
- Jo-Ellen Darcy, nominee for assistant secretary of the Army (Civil Works), Defense Department. She is the senior environmental adviser for the Senate Finance Committee.
Tags: Congress, Transition, VA
Deputy EPA administrator nominee is out
March 25th, 2009 | Agencies Environmental Protection Agency Transition | Posted by Rebecca Neal
Jon Cannon, President Barack Obama’s nominee for deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday afternoon.
And in case you’re wondering, it’s not over unpaid taxes, an issue which has befallen a handful of Obama’s other nominees.
Cannon, an environmental law professor at the University of Virginia, said he withdrew because he once served on the board of a nonprofit group currently under investigation.
It has come to my attention that America’s Clean Water Foundation, where I once served on the board of directors, has become the subject of scrutiny. While my service on the board of that now-dissolved organization is not the subject of the scrutiny, I believe the energy and environmental challenges facing our nation are too great to delay confirmation for this position, and I do not wish to present any distraction to the agency.”
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee had scheduled a confirmation hearing for Cannon for Thursday.
Tags: EPA, Transition
The light bulb dilemma: Save energy or save the planet?
January 30th, 2009 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Tim Kauffman
Sure, replacing those 60-watt incandescent light bulbs with lower-wattage compact fluorescent alternatives cuts energy use. But are they harming the environment in the process?
CFLs: Friend or foe?
That’s the question one insightful Pennsylvania resident posed to the Environmental Protection Agency recently. The spiral-shaped CFLs contain the toxic chemical mercury, which makes them dangerous to land, water and animals if not disposed of properly. “Should we be more concerned with energy saving or mercury hazards?” the woman asked.
CFLs contain a trace amount of mercury — five milligrams — which would fit on the tip of a ballpoint pen, said Dan Gallo, EPA’s electronics recycling specialist, who responded to the question. It would take 100 bulbs to equal the amount of mercury contained in one of the old thermometers, Gallo said.
The benefits of lower energy consumption — CFLs use 75 percent less electricity than traditional bulbs — outweigh the environmental disadvantages, Gallo said.
Still, safely disposing of the bulbs is important — especially as federal agencies and other energy-conscious businesses and consumers begin buying more CFLs to reduce their electricity use. Several national retailers accept the bulbs for recycling, including Ace Hardware, IKEA and Home Depot. Most local landfills also accept the bulbs as part of their hazardous waste disposal programs.
In a pinch, EPA says you can place the fluorescent light bulb in two plastic bags and seal it before putting it into the outside trash. Just don’t tell the plastic bag recycling advocates.
Tags: Energy, environment, light bulbs
EPA Administrator pledges respect for work force
January 23rd, 2009 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Elise Castelli
In a memo sent to all Environmental Protection Agency employees today, newly minted administrator Lisa Jackson promised to “make respect for the EPA work force a bedrock principle of my tenure.â€
She said:
I will look to you every day for ideas, advice and expertise. EPA should once again be the workplace of choice for veteran public servants and also talented young people beginning careers in environmental protection – just as it was for me when I first joined EPA shortly after graduate school.
She also reiterated promises she made to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to make science the foundation of EPA programs and decisions.
When scientific judgments are suppressed, misrepresented or distorted by political agendas, Americans can lose faith in their government to provide strong public health and environmental protection…The laws that Congress has written and directed EPA to implement leave room for policy judgments. However, policy decisions should not be disguised as scientific findings.
In the introductory memo to her the staff, she also pledged to make the agency more transparent and to involve the public in decision making processes, particularly communities that have been “disproportionately impacted by pollution.â€
Tags: Lisa Jackson
Senate approves five Obama officials
January 23rd, 2009 | Environmental Protection Agency Executive Office of the President HUD Transition Transportation | Posted by Elise Castelli
Barack Obama’s Cabinet is filling up. Last night the Senate confirmed:
- Shaun Donovan to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
- Ray LaHood to be Secretary of Transportation.
In other confirmation news:
- Susan Rice, Obama’s choice for U.N. ambassador, was approved.
- Nancy Sutley was confirmed as chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
- And finally, Lisa Jackson was given the green light to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, after Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., lifted his objection to a vote by unanimous consent.
Tags: confirmations, Lisa Jackson, Nancy Sutley, Ray LaHood, Senate, Shaun Donovan, Susan Rice
Update: EPA confirmation back on track
January 22nd, 2009 | Agency Management Environmental Protection Agency Transition | Posted by Elise Castelli
Update: Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., has lifted his objection to allowing a vote on Lisa Jackson’s nomination for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator by unanimous consent, Greg Keeley, Barrasso’s spokesman said. This means the vote could come as soon as this evening.
Barrasso’s change of heart came after he spoke with Carol Browner, Obama’s energy and environment czar. The pair will meet next week to discuss Barrasso’s concerns about her new role and how it may affect the  independence of EPA.
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Original Post: EPA Confirmation Delayed
The Environmental Protection Agency may have to wait a while to see the changes Lisa Jackson, Obama’s nominee for agency administrator, promised at a hearing last week.
That’s because Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., has requested more time to review her nomination, CQ reported today (subscription may be required). Barrasso is not concerned so much about Jackson’s qualifications for the post, as he is about whether the new White House environmental czar, Carol Browner, would diminish or usurp Jackson’s authorities, according to CQ.
At last week’s hearing Barrasso expressed concern that Browner and Jackson would clash over how to implement environmental regulations.
“Who will ultimately make final EPA decisions?†Barasso asked. “If the two of you disagree on an environmental issue how does that work?â€
Jackson replied that regardless of Browner’s White House role, EPA decisions will still fall to the administrator, and she will uphold and enforce the law if confirmed, Jackson said. She also downplayed the possibility of a turf war.
“I’m sure advisers can agree or disagree on any number of issues and her advice and counsel is something I will certainly seek,†Jackson said.
Tags: confirmations, EPA, Lisa Jackson, Sen. Barrasso
Tracking the transition: environmental picks
December 11th, 2008 | Energy Environmental Protection Agency Transition Uncategorized White House | Posted by Tim Kauffman
We’re hearing this morning that President-elect Barack Obama has settled on a handful of appointments for key positions handling energy and environmental issues. Among the likely picks:
- Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to serve as secretary of the Energy Department.
- Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Carol Browner, former EPA administrator during the Clinton administration, to serve in a new White House position coordinating energy and climate control initiatives across goverment.
- Nancy Sutley, deputy mayor for energy and environment in Los Angeles, to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
The four will be charged with carrying out key environmental and energy goals in the Obama administration, including creating millions of green collar jobs through new investments in clean enegy sources.
The picks would also continue a pledge by Obama to have a diverse cabinet. Chu would be the first person of Chinese descent to head the Energy Department. Jackson, if confirmed, would be the first African American to head the EPA, where discrimination against a black employee there led to a landmark 2002 law holding agencies and managers accountable for discrimination. Sutley is a Latino and would be the first openly gay nominee for a high-level post in the Obama administration.
Tags: Barack Obama
EPA on the go
December 9th, 2008 | Environmental Protection Agency | Posted by Elise Castelli
Pining to know what the Environmental Protection Agency is up to while you’re away from your desk?
Well, the agency has a solution for you: A Web site tailored specifically for cell phone users, m.epa.gov.
This pared-down, text-only site will let the mobile user access agency contact information, find environmental information by ZIP code, read news releases and access the agency’s blog Greenversations. The agency said in a news release that it plans to add more features later.
EPA is the latest agency to launch a site that’s easy to load and view on mobile devices. You can find a list of other federal sites that have gone mobile here.
Tags: mobile sites