STATEMENT OF MICHAEL MCCABE
FOR CONFIRMATION AS DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR
U.S. ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AGENCY
February 3, 2000

Good Morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. It is an honor to have been nominated by the President to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and to appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today. I greatly appreciate the confidence shown in me by the President and Administrator Carol Browner to fill this position.

Protecting the nation's public health and natural resources is one of the most important legacies that we can leave for our children. As a father of two daughters, aged three and seven, who both have a better chance of living to be 100 than at any time in human history - living to the end of this century - I am acutely aware of the responsibility we have to leave them an environment better than the one we inherited. Protecting the air they breathe, ensuring that their drinking water is safe and clean and that they can swim and fish in our lakes and streams, managing the pesticide residues on the foods they eat, and storing and disposing of solid wastes in ways that prevent harm to their health is critical not only to my daughters' futures, but to all of us. Protecting all of us is the Agency's mission.

Helping lead this Agency is a daunting responsibility, but it also provides me with an opportunity to use my regional experience to help shape national policy. I will work hard to keep that regional perspective. I am still living on the Pennsylvania/Delaware border and return home on weekends. I am sure the Committee understands better than most the value of keeping active links beyond the beltway in order to stay grounded and maintain common sense.

I have agreed to undertake this job in the eighth year of this Administration because I am committed to seeing the environmental programs and initiatives launched by the President and Administrator Browner brought to fruition. It is an important year also because it marks the 30th anniversary of Earth Day and the 30th anniversary of the EPA when we should look back on our accomplishments in the area of environmental protection and chart the course for the future.

I plan to focus on a number of areas throughout the year. First and foremost will be the day-to-day administration of the Agency itself. This includes meeting our budget obligations under GPRA and managing the work force targets set by Congress. Another area will be implementing the Administrator's consolidation and redirection of Agency information programs under the new Environmental Information Office. This will include working with States to establish common information and data systems that promote better communication about environmental results and reduce reporting paperwork. The Food Quality Protection Act, one of the most significant new environmental laws passed by Congress in recent years, also will be an area of focus. The extensive reassessment required by the law of the pesticides used in agricultural production and pest management requires tremendous resources and extensive scientific review.

I also plan to continue my involvement in assuring environmentally protective permitting of surface mines in Appalachia. This issue is one which could have important consequences for water quality in conjunction with mining practices nationwide.

For most of the past 25 years, I have devoted my career to public service in the field of environmental protection and natural resources management. From my earliest professional experience in the 1970s, when many of the nation's environmental laws were being written, I have brought new ideas and leadership to strategies to control pollution and to use our natural resources wisely. I am steadfastly committed to promoting innovative, common sense approaches to environmental protection by building partnerships at all levels of government, with the private sector, and by involving stakeholders.

In addition to a solid foundation in environmental policy, I have extensive experience in managing organizations including the Energy Conservation and Power Subcommittee of the House Commerce Committee, Senator Biden's project staff, the bipartisan Congressional Environmental and Energy Study Conference, and the Mid-Atlantic regional office.

While serving as director of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy Conservation and Power Subcommittee, of the House Commerce Committee, in the early 1980's, we led the debate in promoting utility deregulation which is now sweeping through the industry. We also tackled a persistent problem facing nuclear power - how to safely dispose of spent fuel - and we enacted the nation's first program for the disposal of nuclear waste.

I am particularly proud of my leadership of the Study Conference - my first management position 24 years ago. You may be familiar with the Study Conference and its "green sheets" which provided members of Congress and their staffs with background information on key environmental and energy legislation and issues.

Shortly after it was founded in the House by former Representative Richard Ottinger and then Representative Jim Jeffords, a group of Senators led by my former boss Senator Gary Hart and Senator Chafee, expanded it into the Senate. The Conference was an organization based on the belief that environmental protection knows no party affiliation and that the foundation of this nation's environmental laws was built through bipartisan collaboration. To underscore this, the Chairmanship of the organization shifted between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate at a time when Democrats controlled both Houses.

Senator Chafee became the Senate Chairman in 1979 and I was proud to serve under him as staff director. I greatly admired the Senator and mourn the loss of this great advocate of the bipartisan spirit that established our nation's environmental policies.

That was a long time ago. My most recent management experience as Regional Administrator of the Mid Atlantic States has provided me with experience vital to the role of Deputy Administrator.

As the longest-serving Regional Administrator, I managed and directed a staff of approximately 1,000 employees with a budget exceeding $700 million. In this position, I took an active interest in the efficient operation of the regional office, and conducted an internal assessment of regional management and personnel practices to make the region work better, and to make ours a better place to for employees work. For example, I led the effort to restore the District of Columbia's drinking water system and directed EPA's national approach to managing poultry waste from factory farms. I co-chaired a subcommittee of the Agency's Common Sense Initiative that succeeded in streamlining permitting and pollution control measures to achieve superior environmental performance for the printing industry.

As Regional Administrator, I worked with EPA's senior management team on national strategic planning, budget priority setting, and public outreach. This provided me with the ability to implement the Agency's national priorities into a regional context. It also provided me with an opportunity to bring the perspective I gained from my day-to-day work with the States to bear on national policies and priorities. Working closely with my colleagues around the country gave me a greater appreciation for the regional variations in environmental problems and unique approaches used in resolving complex issues.

In summary, my environmental policy expertise, management skills, and strong commitment to public service provide me with qualifications to do the work of the Deputy Administrator. I look forward to working with the Committee, the members and your staff in our efforts to protect the environment and make a healthy environment for our children and grandchildren.