U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson issued the following statement on President-elect Barack Obama’s nomination of Lisa Jackson to be the next EPA Administrator:

“For almost forty years, EPA has led our Nation’s efforts to protect human health and the environment, for today and for the future.

“Lisa Jackson has a wealth of experience and a solid record of achievement in environmental service. As a former EPA executive, she is uniquely qualified to recognize the challenges facing the agency and lead from day one. This is an exciting time at EPA, and Lisa will direct an agency that is poised to build on the many environmental successes accomplished since 2001.

“While environmental responsibility is everyone’s responsibility, I am particularly proud of the role EPA has played in bringing about record results on behalf of the American people and our environment. Our air is cleaner, our water is purer, and our land is better protected than just a generation ago.

“EPA has not only helped change the way our environment looks, it has helped change the way each of us looks at our individual duty to protect the environment. The hard-working professionals at EPA lead the way in environmental protection, and I’m confident they will continue to do so with Lisa Jackson as Administrator.”