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KEY OFFICIALS ASSUME SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL POSTS
Release Date: 10/11/2001
Contact Information:
Note to Correspondents
FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2001
KEY OFFICIALS ASSUME SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL POSTS
Bonnie Piper 202-564-4355 / [email protected]
KEY OFFICIALS ASSUME SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL POSTS
Bonnie Piper 202-564-4355 / [email protected]
Five of President Bush’s nominees for senior positions at EPA have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate, have been officially appointed by the President and are now fulfilling their duties. The posts include the Assistant Administrators for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Office of Water, Office of Air and Radiation, Office of International Affairs and Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
Stephen L. Johnson has been sworn in and has been serving since summer as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances. Johnson, a 20-year career EPA employee, now has responsibility for implementing the nation’s laws regulating industrial chemicals and pesticides used in the United States, and for promoting innovative solutions to advance pollution prevention. His office oversees EPA’s comprehensive program evaluating safe levels for pesticide residues in the food supply. Johnson, 50, has extensive experience in regulatory and scientific issues affecting chemicals such as lead, mercury and asbestos, as well as pesticides issues. Johnson holds a B.A. degree from Taylor University in Indiana and a M.S. degree from George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Jeffrey R. Holmstead has been sworn in as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. Holmstead is now responsible for implementing the federal Clean Air Act, for regulation of industrial and automotive air pollutants, as well as for EPA’s global climate change programs and coordination of EPA’s radiation program with other federal agencies. A White House official under former President George H.W. Bush, Holmstead, 40, is a native of Colorado and an alumnus of Brigham Young University and Yale Law School.
G. Tracy Mehan has been sworn in as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water. Mehan is responsible for implementation of both the federal Clean Water Act and the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Mehan, 52, will manage EPA’s programs, policies, standards and regulations relating to all water issues in the U.S. Mehan is a former EPA official, and served as a member of the cabinet of Michigan Governor John Engler as director of Michigan’s Office of the Great Lakes. He also served previously in Missouri as Director of the state Department of Natural Resources. Mehan holds a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from St. Louis University.
Judith E. Ayres has been sworn in and is serving as EPA’s Assistant Administrator for the Office of International Activities. A California resident, Ayers will be responsible for EPA’s international programs, negotiations, policies and technical exchanges with foreign governments. Ayres directed EPA's Region 9, based in San Francisco, from 1983-88. As Regional Administrator she oversaw all agency programs in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the American protectorates in the Pacific. During this tenure, she was involved with international programs addressing hazardous wastes, air and water quality. Ayres has also worked with William D. Ruckelshaus Associates and headed the Environmental Group in San Francisco. She earned an undergraduate degree in zoology and physiology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Marianne Lamont Horinko was recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in to serve as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). In this capacity Horinko is the Agency’s chief official responsible for oversight of the Superfund program and other initiatives dealing with waste management and recycling. A former EPA official, Horinko most recently was President of Clay Associates, Inc., a Washington, D.C. environmental consulting firm. She launched the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Policy Forum, a broad-based organization focused on dialogue to improve the nation’s waste programs. From 1990 to 1993, Horinko served at EPA as Attorney Advisor to the OSWER Assistant Administrator, specializing in Superfund reauthorization and RCRA regulatory issues. Horinko is an alumnus of the University of Maryland and the Georgetown University Law Center.
These senior managers join EPA Administrator Christie Whitman’s other top staff, including Deputy Administrator Linda J. Fisher and General Counsel Robert E. Fabricant in the Agency’s efforts to protect human health and ensure a clean and safe environment.
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