December 19, 2005

EPA Administrator Johnson Reaches out to State Legislators
Federal official outlines EPA’s work in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

On December 8, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson addressed the Fall Forum of the National Conference of State Legislatures to promote collaboration between the federal and state governments with the mission of protecting the environment and aiding recovery in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He presented a vivid picture of the daunting task underway to respond to a wide variety of environmental challenges wrought by this disaster. Immediately after Katrina, EPA began identifying hot spots such as hazardous waste facilities and compromised rail lines, sites with oil spills and other fuels, and perhaps most disturbing, 54 Superfund sites in the affected area.

Before EPA could begin to assess these dangers, the immediate need for search and rescue took over. Thanks to predetermined contracts and the predeployment of appropriate staff, EPA was prepared to begin environmental assessments immediately after the hurricane passed. In fact, 60 boats had been acquired quickly through this process. However, it was abundantly clear that these boats were needed for a more urgent task, and EPA employees aided emergency personnel in the rescue of Louisiana citizens. According to Johnson, their staff was involved in over 800 rescues.

After the rescue phase was finished, EPA turned to its primary mission. Hundreds of samples of the floodwater, then the remaining sentiment, were taken for analysis. Mobile monitoring stations were placed to conduct air-quality testing (the existing network of testing stations had been destroyed by the hurricane). At this stage, the primary environmental challenge for EPA is debris removal, including 1.5 million refrigerators and 350,000 vehicles that should be recycled rather than merely discarded.

Johnson told the group that it aimed to release its information about environmental conditions as quickly as possible to local officials so that they could make informed decisions about public health and safety. “Collaboration with state and local officials is key to the response and final restoration of the area,” he said.

Johnson has been a part of EPA for 24 years. He was assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) from June 2001 to July 2003. He has also served as Deputy Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) since May 1997. And he served for three years in OPP as director of the Registration Division, where he administered the pesticide registration program, establishing or revoking pesticide tolerances and exemptions and making decisions on emergency exemptions, experimental use permits, new active ingredients, new uses, and state registrations for special local needs.

Other senior level positions that Johnson held at the EPA include director of OPP’s Field Operations Division; deputy director of OPP’s Hazard Evaluation Division; and executive secretary of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Johnson also has represented the EPA in various national and international pesticide forums sponsored by the United Nations’ World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He has held staff and management positions in the EPA’s Office of Research and Development and Office of Toxic Substances.

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