EPA Nominee Says Science Will Come First In Policy Decisions

Lisa P. Jackson, the former New Jersey commissioner of environmental protection tapped by President-elect Obama to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, vowed that science will prevail over politics in agency decisions. During an opening statement at her confirmation hearing, Jackson, 46, said science should be “the backbone” of what the EPA does. During the Bush administration, the EPA was widely criticized for ignoring scietific advice as it made decisions on issues ranging from global warming to water and air pollution. “If I am confirmed,” Jackson said, “I will administer with science as my guide.” Jackson also vowed to evaluate hundreds of coal ash disposal sites at power plants across the country following spills in Alabama and Tennessee. She said she would weigh steps to better regulate how the ash is stored, a process that was recommended by the EPA in 2000 but never completed during the Bush administration. If confirmed, Jackson would become the first African-American to lead the EPA.