Washington
, DC
–
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement in response to President-elect Barack Obama’s announcement of his senior energy and environmental advisors:

“President-elect Barack Obama continues to fill his Cabinet with advisors who will bring to the federal government the highest levels of competence and integrity.
 His choices today of Dr. Steven Chu to serve as Secretary of Energy, Lisa Jackson to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Carol Browner to coordinate the administration’s overall energy and environment effort, mark a positive and refreshing change from the last eight years.
 With these appointments, President-elect Obama has signaled to the world that science and not politics will be at the forefront of American policy.

“Dr. Steven Chu, a scientist and Nobel-laureate, exemplifies President-elect Obama’s pledge to bring science back to our energy and environmental policies.
 Dr. Chu has the depth of knowledge and fresh perspective to guide our nation toward energy security in the next decade while creating millions of ‘green-collar’ jobs here in Maryland and across the country.
  America must assert control of our energy needs with cost-effective sources that are sustainable, renewable, and safe.

“As a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I look forward to the confirmation hearings for Lisa Jackson, former director of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection.  Ms. Jackson, who helped make the Garden State greener by urging the governor to cut greenhouse emissions, started her career in EPA’s Superfund office.  She already is familiar with our regional issues and I am confident that Ms. Jackson will lead us on a sensible path toward restoring America’s waterways, especially the nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay.  I also expect to work closely with Ms. Jackson on cutting automobile emissions and expanding public transit as an important part of a comprehensive effort to reduce dangerous greenhouse gas emissions.
  In the Obama administration, solid science will determine policy, and the EPA will regain its cabinet-level status. 

“Formerly the longest-serving administrator in the history of the EPA, Carol Browner is an exceptional pick to head the administration’s efforts on global warming.
 I enjoyed a thoughtful exchange of ideas with Ms. Browner last year when she testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
 I have no doubt that she will bring the same high caliber of thought to the larger issue of global warming as she does in her current position as Chair of the Audubon Society and in her former position as head of EPA.
 The creation of this position and the appointment of Ms. Browner demonstrate President-elect Obama’s serious commitment to reversing our global warming crisis.”