White House CEQ Chair Announces Departure
Nancy Sutley is leaving in February 2014, the White House announced.
Nancy Sutley, who as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality is President Obama's top environmental policy adviser, is leaving the administration in February 2014.
The White House posted a statement from the president thanking Sutley for her service: "I want to thank Nancy Sutley for her counsel, and for her service to the American people over the past five years. As one of my top advisors, Nancy has played a central role in overseeing many of our biggest environmental accomplishments, including establishing historic new fuel economy standards that will save consumers money, new national monuments that permanently protect sites unique to our country's rich history and natural heritage, our first comprehensive National Ocean Policy, and our Climate Action Plan that will help leave our children a safer, healthier planet. Under her leadership, Federal agencies are meeting the goals I set for them at the beginning of the administration by using less energy, reducing pollution, and saving taxpayer dollars. Her efforts have made it clear that a healthy environment and a strong economy aren't mutually exclusive – they can go hand in hand. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors."
Sutley has an impressive resume. She was the deputy mayor for energy and environment for the city of Los Angeles before taking the CEQ job. She represented Los Angeles on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, served on the California State Water Resources Control Board from 2003- 2005, and was the energy advisor for California Gov. Gray Davis. She worked for EPA during the Clinton administration as a senior policy advisor to the San Francisco regional administrator and also as special assistant to the EPA administrator in Washington, D.C.