Letter to Stephen Johnson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Re: Fill Open Region 5 EPA Position

Letter

Letter to Stephen Johnson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Re: Fill Open Region 5 EPA Position

Durbin Urges EPA Administrator to Fill Open Region 5 EPA Position Immediately to Protect Lake Michigan

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today urged Stephen Johnson, Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to make Bharat Mathur's appointment permanent as Regional Administrator for Region 5.

"With Mary Gade's departure on May 1, this is the third time since 2004 that Mr. Mathur has been called upon to step up to the position of Acting Regional Administrator," Durbin wrote in today's letter. "It is time that this move be made permanent."

On May 1, 2008, the EPA announced that Mary Gade, the Regional Administrator for the EPA Region 5, was placed on administrative leave. The next day, Senator Durbin sent a letter to the President urging him to act quickly to fill the vacant post. Yesterday, Senator Durbin met with Stephen Johnson, the Administrator of the EPA, to discuss Gade's dismissal and her replacement. Today, Durbin sent the following letter asking that Mathur's appointment be made permanent.

Text of the letter appears below:

May 14, 2008

The Honorable Stephen L. Johnson
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator Johnson,

Given the pressing environmental issues facing the Midwest, I urge you to make Bharat Mathur's appointment permanent as Regional Administrator for Region 5 of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Citizens of Region 5, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, are increasingly concerned about threats to the environment. Industrial pollutants into our air and water and sewage leaks from decaying infrastructure continue to threaten public health. Meanwhile, new concerns have arisen with risks that are largely unknown, such as pharmaceuticals that are contaminating drinking water supplies.

EPA Region 5 is seen as the public steward of the environment. That important responsibility deserves the leadership of a dedicated and permanently appointed Regional Administrator.

Mr. Mathur is well qualified to earn the confidence of EPA management. He has been a key contributor to the EPA-5 organization since joining in January 2000. Prior to that, he served admirably at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, managing programs related to air pollution, hazardous and solid waste, and the Clean Water Act. While serving as the chief of the Bureau of Air for the Illinois EPA, Mr. Mathur received an EPA-5 Special Achievement Award for his leadership in implementing the Clean Air Act.

With Mary Gade's departure on May 1, this is the third time since 2004 that Mr. Mathur has been called upon to step up to the position of Acting Regional Administrator. It is time that this move be made permanent.

As I emphasized in my letter to the President on May 2, the position of Regional Administrator needs to be filled swiftly with a leader who will protect the Great Lakes region and its communities. I believe that Bharat Mathur has demonstrated his qualifications to be that leader.

I look forward to hearing from you your decision on this matter.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin
U.S. Senator

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