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Council on Environmental Quality Blog

  • A New Year, A Fresh Set of Actions for a Healthy America

    Posted by Nancy Sutley on January 7, 2011 at 3:49 PM EDT

    President Obama rang in the New Year with important action to protect environmental and public health, and rebuild our economy on a stronger foundation.  On Tuesday, the President returned to his desk and signed a number of bills passed into law by Congress, five of which help ensure Americans can enjoy clean air, safe drinking water, and healthy wildlife. 

    These bills will curb lead levels in water pipes, a major source of harmful lead exposure for children, and help address diesel engine pollution that is linked to serious health conditions like asthma and heart and lung disease.  They also hold the Federal Government accountable for the water pollution it contributes to American communities; encourage volunteer opportunities in National Wildlife Refuges; and help conserve vulnerable shark populations. These measures are just the beginning of what we can accomplish in 2011.  We look forward to a year of continued progress toward a healthy and prosperous future for our country. 

    The President signed the following environmental bills into law on Tuesday:

    • H.R. 81, the "Shark Conservation Act of 2010 and International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act," which generally prohibits the removal of shark fins at sea and amends certain laws related to international fisheries;
    • H.R. 4973, the "National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer Improvement Act of 2010," which reauthorizes and amends authorities relating to volunteer programs and community partnerships for national wildlife refuges;
    • H.R. 5809, the "Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2010," which modifies and reauthorizes through FY 2016 the Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Reduction Program;
    • S. 3481, which clarifies the Federal Government's responsibility to pay reasonable service charges to a State or local government to address stormwater pollution from Federal properties; and
    • S. 3874, the "Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act," which modifies the Safe Drinking Water Act definition of "lead free" with regard to pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures

    Nancy Sutley is Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality

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  • A Personal Message from CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley: It Gets Better

    Posted by Nancy Sutley on December 23, 2010 at 1:47 PM EDT

    Ed. Note: President Obama, Vice President Biden and Administration officials recorded their own video messages to give support to young people who are being bullied because of their sexual orientation. Visit WhiteHouse.gov/itgetsbetter for more videos and resources.

    This week, President Obama signed a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don’t Tell," putting an end to a destructive policy that has forced brave Americans to lie about who they are for the privilege of serving their country.  I am proud to be part of an Administration that fights to strengthen the foundation of equality in this country.  I am also proud to be one among many openly gay members of the Obama Administration. 

    In my youth, I could not imagine a future for myself as an openly gay adult.  Today, I am the principal environmental advisor to the President of the United States of America.  And I am openly gay with supportive family, co-workers and friends.   

    I want all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth to hear my story, and the story of others like me.  Several White House staff and I have recorded a message as part of the It Gets Better Project, a national campaign to provide support to LGBT youth.  Our message is this:  You are not alone.  We have walked down the path you are walking now, and we know how it feels.  And we can tell you, it WILL get better.

    Download Video: mp4 (134MB) | ()

    Resources
    If you’re a young person who’s been bullied or harassed by your peers, or you’re a parent or teacher who knows a young person being bullied or harassed, here are a few resources that can help you:

    The Trevor Project 
    The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LBGTQ youth by providing resources and a nationwide, 24 hour hotline.  If you are considering suicide or need help, call: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386).

    BullyingInfo.org
    BullyingInfo.org is a project of the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) focused on providing tools and resources for youth, parents, teachers and mental health providers to prevent and address bullying. 

    It Gets Better Project
    President Obama's video and Vice President Biden’s video are just a couple of the thousands of videos submitted by people across the country to inspire and encourage LGBT youth who are struggling.  You can watch more videos at ItGetsBetterProject.com.

    For even more information and resources visit or call:

    Nancy Sutley is Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality

    Learn more about Civil Rights, Energy and Environment

  • Protecting our Great Lakes from Asian Carp

    Posted by John Goss on December 22, 2010 at 3:54 PM EDT

    The migration of Asian carp from the Mississippi River toward Lake Michigan is one of the most serious invasive species threats facing the Great Lakes today. Asian carp have left a trail of destruction in their wake, harming the ecosystems, the economy, and the experience of recreational and commercial boaters along the Mississippi river system.  We cannot allow them to establish self-sustaining populations in the Great Lakes. 

    As CEQ's Asian Carp Director, I chair the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC), a group of Federal, state and local officials working collaboratively to combat Asian carp. I also oversee the Obama Administration's comprehensive Asian carp control strategy, an unprecedented, multi-million dollar effort to address an invasive species proactively, instead of responding after the damage has already been done. 

    As a fisherman from the Great Lakes state of Indiana, the impact and gravity of the destruction that Asian carp can inflict hits close to home for me. I recognize the potential destruction to a fisherman's livelihood if Asian carp push out our native fish species, and I know firsthand the fear these large fish cause when they fly through the air, threatening to damage our boats and harm the people on them.

    2011 Asian Carp Framework

    The 2011 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework

    Last week, we released our 2011 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework, outlining a series of new projects to build on the successes of our 2010 Framework.  The plan includes 45 initiatives that focus on physical barricades to close off pathways into the Great Lakes and prevent carp from moving around during floods, as well as measures to target and remove any Asian carp that are in waterways near our Great Lakes.  We are also developing biological controls, such as Asian-carp specific poisons and sonic barriers, that could repel or create reproductive interference to slow the proliferation of these fish.  You can read more about the framework at www.asiancarp.org.

    We currently have a unique opportunity to prevent Asian carp from developing self sustaining populations and possibly inflicting untold damage on the ecosystem, economy and recreational resources of the Great Lakes.  I am committed to ensuring that our Great Lakes and the interests of the people who depend on them are protected from the devastating effects of this invasive species.

    John Goss is the Asian Carp Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality

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  • A Promise of Environmental Justice for All Americans

    Posted by Nancy Sutley on December 20, 2010 at 8:55 PM EDT

    Last week, the Obama Administration hosted a first of its kind event – a White House forum to give a national voice to under-represented American communities that shoulder a disproportionate amount of pollution.  Environmental justice is a concept that began decades ago.  It's a movement that argues that every American, regardless of income level or minority status, deserves strong Federal protection from environmental and health hazards.

    Chair Sutley Remarks at Environmental Justice Forum

    CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, NEJAC Chair Elizabeth Yeampierre, and South Carolina State Representative Harold Mitchell deliver opening remarks at the White House Forum on Environmental Justice (Photo by Eric Vance, US EPA) December 20, 2010.

    The White House Forum on Environmental Justice drew six Cabinet members, not to mention senior-level officials from agencies ranging from the Department of Labor, to the Department of Energy, to the Department of Justice.  This is just one indication of how much support environmental justice has at the highest levels of the Obama Administration; the best indication is the work underway at agencies across the Federal Government to design programs to reverse the inequity in these communities.

    But the stars of the event were not the Administration officials – they were the environmental leaders that have fought for years or decades on behalf of their communities.  The purpose of the forum was to give them the microphone, not only to raise the visibility of environmental justice in this country, but to foster deeper interaction between policymakers and the people who live and breathe the impacts of those policies.  This includes America's youth, a group of whom joined EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and me for a lunchtime online chat.  Students ranging from eighth-graders to doctoral candidates, and from varying cultural and racial backgrounds, showed they share a deep investment in the state of the environment and public health in their communities.

    Chair Sutley at EJ Forum

    EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, EPA Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice Lisa Garcia, CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis (Photo by Eric Vance, US EPA)

    During the forum, more than 100 community leaders shared their expertise and displayed their passion for these issues throughout the day.  Many acknowledged the Administration's strong commitment to environmental justice and healthy communities.  But they also voiced frustration that their communities are still suffering from the impacts of decades of pollution, and pledged to keep pressing until they see environmental justice achieved. 

    We expect and want no less.  We are working hard to get results that these communities can see on the ground.  And we will continue to have these discussions with environmental justice communities, and communities throughout America. 

    The first White House Forum on Environmental Justice was broadcast live online.  An archived version can be viewed on the White House YouTube page:
    • Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/ObamaWhiteHouse#p/u/3/c5Al1CK7O1g
    • Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/ObamaWhiteHouse#p/u/4/Wi3UkTogvp4
    • Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/ObamaWhiteHouse#p/u/5/Yy9u1Pq3bYA
    • Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/ObamaWhiteHouse#p/u/6/aMplNVWVyBo

    In addition, EPA Administrator Jackson and I took questions from students and Facebook participants during a live online chat.  To watch, visit: http://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/photos-and-video/video/2010/12/15/open-questions-environmental-justice

    Nancy Sutley is Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality

    Learn more about Energy and Environment

  • What You Missed: Open for Questions on Environmental Justice with CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

    Posted by Sahar Wali on December 16, 2010 at 6:58 PM EDT

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Nancy Sutley, the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, hosted a live chat to answer your questions about the Obama Administration’s work to create a healthy and sustainable environment for all Americans. They took questions from Facebook participants and students ranging from eighth grade to doctoral candidates who were assembled at Occidental University in Los Angeles, CA, and were on the other end of the video chat.

    Download Video: mp4 (445MB) | mp3 (43MB)
     

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  • Open for Questions: Environmental Justice with CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

    Posted by Nancy Sutley on December 14, 2010 at 3:09 PM EDT

    This Wednesday, December 15, 2010, the Obama Administration is hosting the first White House Forum on Environmental Justice to build on our commitment to ensuring that overburdened and low-income communities have the opportunity to enjoy the health and economic benefits of a clean environment.  At lunch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and I will host a live Facebook chat to answer your questions about the Obama Administration’s work to create a healthy and sustainable environment for all Americans.

    EJ Meeting - Nancy, LPJ

    CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Attorney General Eric Holder, and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan discuss environmental justice issues in September.

    Tune in on Wednesday, December 15th at 12:50PM EST to participate in the discussion live at whitehouse.gov/live.  To submit your questions on Facebook, sign on to http://apps.facebook.com/ObamaWhiteHouselive/.  Also, watch the White House Forum live all day, beginning at 10am, at www.whitehouse.gov/live.

    Nancy Sutley is Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality

    Learn more about Energy and Environment