Senate Confirms EPA Deputy Administrator
The Senate has upheld the nomination of Linda J. Fisher as deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA Administrator Christie Whitman praised the decision, saying, "The agency will benefit greatly from having her (Fisher's) expertise and experience in guiding us to accomplish our important work."
The 48-year-old Fisher received a law degree from Ohio State University, a Masters of Business Administration from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami of Ohio. She practiced law for a time with the firm of Latham and Watkins in Washington.
From 1983 to 1993, Fisher served a number of positions that involved environmental concerns, including chief of staff, assistant administrator for policy, planning and evaluation, and assistant administrator for prevention, pesticides, and toxic substances. From 1995 to 2000, Fisher was vice president and corporate officer at the Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
As Deputy Administrator, Fisher will be Whitman's top assistant in matters of management and policy.
"The EPA mission of protecting human health and our environment is crucial," said Whitman. "Having Linda Fisher as my deputy will be vital in fulfilling that mission."
Puerto Rico Agencies Accused Of Unlawful Discharges of Sewage
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), acting on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has filed a lawsuit in federal court charging the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) and Compañia de Aguas, a PRASA contractor that has day-to-day control over the operations of the sewage treatment system, with numerous violations of the federal Clean Water Act.
In its complaint, the government demands that PRASA and Compañia de Aguas assess each pump station in Puerto Rico to identify deficiencies and develop a comprehensive operation and maintenance plan to address the deficiencies and to bring each of PRASA's pump station facilities into immediate compliance with the Clean Water Act.
"Raw sewage is a public health threat and the periodic pump station break downs are not acceptable," said William M. Muszynski, Acting EPA Regional Administrator. "EPA wants PRASA and Compañia de Aguas to implement an island-wide operation and maintenance assessment program so future raw sewage discharges are avoided."
According to the lawsuit, filed in federal Court in San Juan, PRASA and Compañia de Aguas have failed to properly maintain and operate many of its pump stations across the island. PRASA and Compañia de Aguas operate approximately 520 pump stations. The complaint specifically alleges violations in at least 30 pump stations, which have discharged raw sewage into creeks, rivers, and the oceans around Puerto Rico.
In a separate action, EPA has announced its proposal to grant a waiver from secondary wastewater treatment to PRASA for its Puerto Nuevo and Bayamon wastewater treatment plants, which share a single deep ocean outfall. The plants discharge into the Atlantic Ocean 3,600 offshore at a depth of 141 feet. The EPA proposal would require the two plants to continue providing advanced primary treatment.