‘The EPA is Not the Villain’

(Newsweek) — On Jan. 1, the Environmental Protection Agency is set to phase in regulations on air and water pollutants, including sulfur oxides, ozone, and, most controversial of all, carbon dioxide. House Republicans have vowed to thwart the EPA at every turn. But Lisa Jackson, the agency’s administrator, says she won’t be deterred. She sat down with NEWSWEEK’s Daniel Stone. Excerpts:

People have said you run, and I’m quoting, a “runaway agency,” with a staff that’s “out of control,” and have called you a “renegade.” What’s your response? I think we need to separate what we’re doing from what we hear lobbyists and CEOs say we’re doing. We laid out three ideas: we would follow the law, and we would follow science, and we would operate transparently. When I hear “renegade,” it sounds like we’re operating outside of the system. But this is the system. The system is designed to make sure our land and water and air are protected.

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