Liveblog | EPA Admin. Lisa Jackson and the Morning Plenary

The Politics of Climate Change: Steps to Achieving Just Climate Change Solutions

MODERATOR: Deehon Ferris, Sustainable Community Development Group

PRESENTERS: David Doniger, Natural Resources Defense Council; Howard Learner, Environmental Law & Policy Center; Amy O’Donnell, Chief of Staff, Office of Rep. John B. Larson

[11:27a] Moderator Deeohn Ferris opened the plenary by framing the debate between "carbon tax" and "cap and trade" approaches to carbon mitigation, and she offered some observations about the national conversation to far: "There is heavy emphasis on 'market-based solutions', and a heavy dependence on rewarding the private sector."

[11:34a] The first presenter, David Doniger, spoke about the National Resource Defense Council's support for a "cap and trade" approach:

"The problem is so severe, the hour so late, that NRDC's position is that we need to enact legislation this year. We must build on the momentum of Obama's first year, not wait for the slowdown that inevitably occurs during congressional election years."

He went on to say that we need to "pass legislation with the congress we have, not the congress we want".

[11:40a] Mr. Doniger empathized with the environmental justice community's concern with offsets, but submitted that given the "political realities" in Washington, a pragmatic approach was the only way to get a bill passed: "We must be idealistic and realistic at the same time, and we must succeed this year."

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[11:43a] Moderator Deehon Ferris interrupted the scheduled roundtable discussion to introduce the afternoon's keynote speaker, the Honorable Lisa Jackson, who is President Obama's new EPA Administrator. She received a standing ovation.

[11:55a] Administrator Jackson highlighted some of the upcoming "difficulties" facing the EPA:

• She first indicated the need to "unlock" the "experts in the agency", and said that their "voices are essential" to the development of an "honest" conversation about science.
• The administrator noted that the EPA had a "backlog" of court and regulatory decisions that need to be "looked at very closely", and further cited the need for the EPA to begin compliance with rulings and laws already on the books.
• She then outlined how the agency could "move toward regulation" by addressing whether the threats posed by climate change could be legally classified as "endangerment". She indicated that this classification could help "trigger new legislation".

[Editorial interpolation: Administrator Jackson's statements here could be reasonably classified as "breaking news".]


[12:03p] Administrator Jackson concluded her remarks and offered to take questions from the audience. The first questioner asked if the EPA could have a "honest discussion" about the "environmental impacts" of hurricane Katrina - "as soon as you get the chance, please come to New Orleans". The administrator responded by asking community organizations in New Orleans to "demand scientific information" from the agency. The administrator reiterated an earlier promise to visit New Orleans "soon".


[12:10p] The second questioner asked the Administrator Jackson to address the "environmental justice issue of predatory lending" that "throws us out on the street". The administrator responded by empathizing with the questioners concerns and stated that she hoped to "transition the EPA" into an institution that "truly serves".

The next questioner asked about "the future of young people" and "people of color" in the EPA. Administrator Jackson responded: "We clearly need to diversify the EPA's staff", which elicited jubilant applause from the audience. She said that she wanted to create an EPA that "looks like the people we serve", and to work to move "people of color into positions of management and decision-making".

The fourth and final questioner commented, negatively, on the "80% highway, 20% public transportation mix" of the new stimulus package. The administrator agreed with the comment, calling it an "extraordinarily important point", and said that it was "a personal goal of [her's]" to work on "changing that ratio".

[12:19p] The administrator thanked the audience and exited to uproarious applause and a standing ovation.

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[12:21p] The plenary moderator, Deehon Ferris, resumed the scheduled roundtable by introducing the next speaker, Howard Learner.

Mr. Learner repeatedly emphasized that "efficiency" was the "best way" to mitigate carbon and co-pollutant emissions, and he observed the numerous opportunities to do so: "Some of the fruit hangs so low, you would have to pick it up off the ground." He ended his remarks by reiterating that "opportunities for increased efficiency" are everywhere, pointing to the lights in the auditorium as an example. "I rest my case."