Winds of Change Evident in U.S. Environmental Policy

[kpete]

Source: Washington Post

Winds of Change Evident in U.S. Environmental Policy

Administrator Lisa Jackson is key in an EPA transformation.

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 30, 2009; Page A03

Daniel Reifsnyder, a 25-year State Department veteran, knew even before President Obama was elected that U.S. environmental policy was going to change. So in early November, he called a couple of his Environmental Protection Agency counterparts about drafting documents to lay the groundwork for endorsing a treaty to curb global emissions of toxic mercury.
This Story

The Bush administration had resisted proposals for a United Nations-sponsored mercury treaty since at least 2005 on the grounds that voluntary measures were sufficient, but Reifsnyder told his fellow career officials that they had an opportunity to quickly formulate a new U.S. position in time for an upcoming meeting in Nairobi. They knew that as a senator, Obama had sponsored legislation banning the export of mercury overseas and that he was likely to be sympathetic to the treaty proposal.

"To anyone who was aware of what was happening, it was pretty clear the chances of the Bush administration position continuing into the new administration was pretty remote," recalled Reifsnyder, who is deputy assistant secretary of state for the environment and jokes that he started working at the department "before Moses parted the waters."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032902280.html?hpid=topnews

[Tim01]

1. Woo Hoo!

:applause:

[FailureToCommunicate]

2. There are untold numbers of GOOD government workers toiling away even though

every election people speak against 'corruption and excesses of Washington'.

[KT2000]

3. Good point

now the people who are dedicated can actually do their jobs.
Have to say I have worked for federal government and private industry. The work ethic at the gov. office was far superior. Feds take a lot of crap, especialy from repub politicians.