President Bush announced the nomination Friday of a new top administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Stephen Johnson, a 24-year EPA veteran who has served as acting administrator since January. The move was a departure from the recent practice of naming a more visible political figure to the top job and did not sit well with some environmentalists.

Johnson would replace Mike Leavitt,who moved over to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

In making the announcement, Bush said Johnson was “a talented scientist and skilled manager with a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship…He knows the EPA from the ground up, and has a passion for its mission — to protect the health of our citizens, and to guarantee the quality of our air, water, and land for generations to come. I’ve come to know Steve as an innovative problem-solver with good judgment and complete integrity.”

During a press conference to announce his nomination, Johnson emphasized his intention to find ways to advance an environmental agenda while maintaining our nation’s economic health.

“While a 24-year career at EPA is not the most likely qualification for a reformer, we hope that Johnson’s scientific background and stated goal of using innovative and collaborative approaches to solving environmental problems will inform his tenure as Administrator,” said Iain Murray, senior fellow of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), which tends to be pro-business.

“We look forward to the possibility of working with the new Administrator to develop new, free-market ways to meet the broad range of environmental challenges the EPA is charged with addressing,” said Angela Logomasini, CEI director of risk and environmental policy.

But Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said “Steve Johnson…is the best we could expect as a nominee from the Bush administration. The real challenge for Mr. Johnson will be dealing with the White House’s agenda to weaken clean air and clean water protections, and ignore global warming.

“This is deja vu all over again. Former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman came to her position with good environmental credentials and a strong reputation, but the White House clearly called all the shots on environmental and public health protections during her tenure. When she left, we suspect out of frustration, the White House appointed Mike Leavitt as its frontman. We hope that Mr. Johnson can rise above the White House’s expectations that he will be a figurehead,” Pope continued.

Johnson served as deputy EPA administrator beginning in July 2003. Before that, he served as assistant administrator for the office of prevention, pesticides and toxic substances, a position he assumed in January 2001. In his 24 years with EPA, Johnson, 53, has held a wide range of positions. He received a B.A. in biology from Taylor University in Indiana and an M.S. in pathology from George Washington University in Washington, DC.

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