An email message to staff at the Environmental Protection Agency announced the departure of the administrator of that agency, Lisa Jackson. In the email she says she leaves the agency with “the ship is sailing in the right direction.” She will step down after the President’s State of the Union Address.
Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, said in a statement:
“Administrator Jackson has been a dedicated advocate for the renewable fuels industry and her work to reduce our nation’s addiction to foreign oil, while providing cleaner air and a better environment, should be commended.
“As Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, she should be applauded for all she has done to advance biofuels and a cleaner, better environment.
“Growth Energy wishes her well and thanks her for her tireless work during her time at the EPA.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also reacted to Jackson’s resignation:
“Lisa Jackson has served our country well as she balanced improving the environment and the health of the American people – while ensuring our country’s economic competitiveness – because they are intrinsically linked. Throughout her tenure, she listened to stakeholders, including farmers and ranchers, and took their concerns into account while considering policies that impacted rural America. She was a friend to me and to those who live and work in rural America and her leadership will be missed.”
The National Corn Growers Association thanked Jackson for acting on the Obama Administration’s commitment to ethanol and other biofuels during her tenure. NCGA made the following statement:
“Administrator Jackson worked with NCGA to support the ethanol industry and promote science-based regulations during her tenure,” said NCGA Chairman Garry Niemeyer, a farmer from Auburn, Ill. “Upon the announcement of her departure, we thank her for the action she took on behalf of the Administration to advance E15, support the RFS and for her willingness to work with America’s farmers. We hope to continue working in this cooperative, productive manner with her successor.”
During her tenure as EPA Administrator, Jackson approved E15, a 15 percent ethanol blended-fuel, for consumer availability. In doing so, she helped decrease our nation’s dependence upon foreign oil while offering consumers a wider range of fuel choices and potential savings at the gas pump.
More recently, Jackson also reinforced the importance of the Renewable Fuel Standard, while recognizing its inherent flexibility, in her decision to deny requests for a waiver of its provisions. The decision both demonstrated the Administration’s commitment to renewable, domestically-produced biofuels and its confidence in the standard.
NCGA worked closely with Administrator Jackson on several issues in addition to biofuels, including EPA’s decision to maintain existing rural dust standards, a science-based commitment to maintaining the continued registration of atrazine, and an expedited special review of AF-36, a product that shows promise with aflatoxin mitigation in corn and other crops.
And President Obama released this statement:
“Over the last four years, Lisa Jackson has shown an unwavering commitment to the health of our families and our children. Under her leadership, the EPA has taken sensible and important steps to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink, including implementing the first national standard for harmful mercury pollution, taking important action to combat climate change under the Clean Air Act, and playing a key role in establishing historic fuel economy standards that will save the average American family thousands of dollars at the pump, while also slashing carbon pollution. Lisa has been an important part of my team, and I want to thank her for her service in my Administration and her tireless efforts to benefit the American people. I wish her all the best wherever her future takes her.”