On Behalf of The Environment

• Pages: 38-41

Page 38 ❧ THE ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM Copyright © 2011, Environmental Law Institute®, Washington, D.C. www.eli.org.

Reprinted by permission from The Environmental Forum®, Jan./Feb. 2011

On Behalf of e

Environment

At the 40th anniversary of the

Environmental Protection Agency,

Administrator Lisa Jackson accepts ELI’s

Annual Award honoring EPA’s thousands

of dedicated public servants

Te s T i m o n y

Let me begin by saying what an honor

it is to lead the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency at this historic mo-

ment. It is a happy coincidence that my

time as administrator comes during the

40th Anniversary of the agency. I get to

attend a lot of awards ceremonies and

stand on stage while people go on about the achieve-

ments and the success of EPA. It can be a nice relief

from, say, a congressional hearing where I might not

feel so well appreciated. It is very gratifying to have a

schedule f‌illed with friendly celebrations.

But it is not lost on me that I accept these awards

on behalf of the dedicated public servants who have

worked for the EPA over the last four decades. What

is being recognized here — and what we’re celebrating

this year — belongs to every person who has walked

into an EPA of‌f‌ice and set to work to protect the en-

vironment; to safeguard our health; and to make this

country a better place to live. When I started with

EPA as a staf‌f level scientist in 1987, I never imagined

I would be in this position. e true prestige of this

job is knowing that I have been part of this agency’s

success, and to share that with so many others.

Let me also give credit where it is due — to the

Environmental Law Institute and other organiza-

tions that have advised and partnered with us, and at

times pushed the EPA to do its best work. You, too,

deserve enormous credit for the last 40 years. In the

time between 1970 and today, the EPA and the ELI

have had front row seats to the great advances and

the shifting challenges of environmental protection.

e issues we confront have gone from f‌ighting pol-

lution we can see, smell, and taste, to dealing with

pollutants and chemicals we’ve only recently had the

science to detect. We’ve gone from taking action in

local communities, to being a model for global envi-

ronmental protection. And along the way we’ve seen

incredible innovation that has not only protected our

environment, but also created new jobs for American

workers. And in the time between 1970 and today,

environmental law has carved out a unique space in

our nation.

At its roots, environmental protection emerges

from very fundamental notions. e vast major-

ity of Americans believe it’s common sense that our

health and our environment are protected by law.

USA Today and Gallup recently released a poll on

“How Americans View the Federal Government.” As

you can imagine, there were plenty of issues where

those polled believed that government should stay

out. Yet, only f‌ive percent of the respondents felt that