Obama Nominates Top Polluter Lawyer To Enforce Environmental Laws

Think Progress:

President Barack Obama has nominated a lawyer for the nation's largest toxic polluters to run the enforcement of the nation's environmental laws. On Tuesday, Obama "announced his intent to nominate" Ignacia S. Moreno to be Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division in the Department of Justice. Moreno, general counsel for that department during the Clinton administration, is now the corporate environmental counsel for General Electric, "America's #1 Superfund Polluter":

Read the whole story: Think Progress

Comments

[NoBlinky]

Friday I left a pretty gloomy post on this site, but after looking at Moreno's bio on Whitehouse.gov today, this might not be quite as bad as the headlines here would indicate.

Moreno is a recycled Clinton appointee - a decorated one. For what it's worth, from her bio:

" President Clinton appointed Moreno to the Department of Justice, where she served first as Special Assistant (1994-95) and then as Principal Counsel (1996-2001) to the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. . . While at the Department of Justice, Moreno received Special Commendations for Outstanding Service from the Environment and Natural Resources Division, two Bronze Medals from the Environmental Protection Agency for Outstanding Service, and a federal award for excellence in partnership-building. "

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-More-Key-Administration-Posts-5-12-2009//].

[WeTellTheTruth]

Those awards are from government agencies...........given to a government agent.

Those awards are just self serving bunk.........given to pad their resume....... so these people can then go out and get jobs-big pay with the companies they oversaw while in government.........

It's all part of the "revolving door".........between big business and government that has been going on for the last 30 years..........and Obama is continueing it.

Obama has betrayed the American people..............to big business.

[NoBlinky]

Yep. Maybe instead of trying to elect a new Franklin D. Roosevelt to fix the economy we should have been electing a new Teddy Roosevelt to break the grip of the barons of big business on our politics.

[DianeTreehugger]

Obama accepted my (and your) green money all along that never ending election cycle, and now I sit back stunned and deeply. deeply disappointed that his green agenda is disgustingly Bush-like. Considering the majority of environment-related decisions made from 21 Jan to now, I can't tell the f*&*%^$ difference between him and Bush, Delist the wolf - leave the polar bear to figure out how to catch seals on the fly in open water - foxes in charge of henhouses, starting with the HORRIBLE choice of Salazar it's been a continuation that I thought was finally ending. I hope I'm wrong.

[bbrecht]

Make some noise people!

[evilzed]

How many positive changes has Obama done compared to pledged flip flops.
Personally I see the list of Obamas lies far longer than Bush ever did in just a few months of his tenure.
Who does this guy represent really, and if this is the change so far, at what point do the majority wake up to it and the hype ebb?

[dandypuddin]

What on earth is the Pres' rationale for choosing this person?

[norkas]

Please e- mail or call your congressmen and women , senators, and e - mail Barak Obama about this craziness. Do not so nothing as some of you often do incliding myself at times.

Please react to Pres. Obama appointment and let him know we expect him to listen to us now and that this appointment is foolish and careless.

[dandypuddin]

I'd say this is change the corporate world can believe in.

[Okieborn]

President Obama needs to learn how to say NO to the Bush Policies !!!!!

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

I voted for Obama with hope I could believe in the change he promised. However when I look at appointments, when I follow the money, everything has been bait and switch. I like his talk but his actions speak louder than words.

[k6007]

hmmm. I would've thought the nrdc would've had gads of excellent lawyers to choose from..
http://www.nrdc.org/

p.s. Donate today!:)

[WeTellTheTruth]

They do.............

Obama chose a lawyer from the countrys top polluter...........that tells you all you need to know.

Just like Bush...............Obama has sold out the American people............to big business.

[JXJASON]

I voted for Obama too. I thought Barack Obama was better than this.

I am displeased with Barack Obama. I will not vote for him again.

[TheBlackCat]

Aw, come on, WTF?? Very disappointing

[llstudent]

Is Obama for the environment or not? I am beginning to wonder. After Salazar decision to delist the wolves and leave the polar bear decision the same as the Bush administration, something just isnt right. Obama is good on some things but not as good as I want on the endangered species and dont ask dont tell. But he knows that the republican alternative is fifty times worse so there is not much we can do about it except to keep giving money to non profits like the defenders of wildlife and earthjustice to keep up the litigation because obviously Obama is not going to be all he claimed to be. Typical politician, no different than Hilary Clinton was. That is what us Hilary supporters kept saying, he was really no better than she was period and I voted for him and will vote for him again.

[GhiaccioPronto]

This may be a brilliant chess move to support the environment, Perhaps by reducing the ability of the next generation of human beings to procreate, through PCB induced mutation and disruption of the fetal endocrine system , this will help the polar bears in alaska.

[Jazz88105]

FTF?????? is he thinking

[dragonlady620]

-small steps
PLEASE educate yourselves before rushing to judgement!
Too many knee-jerk response to this article!
RESEARCH before reacting
Only way to get to the truth.

[GhiaccioPronto]

I agree. I am sure Ignacia had a good reason for trying to stop the EPA from enforcing the Cleanup of the PCBs that GE dumped in the Hudson River. First of all, she knows that PCB.s are Organic compounds. and Michelle O. uses ORGANIC compost in her new white house garden. Second even if the PCB.s have caused genetic mutations in children, (like tiny deformed penises in little boys) whose mothers were ignorant enough to drink water while they were pregnant or breastfeed their babies a little research will show that size doesn't matter when it comes to male sex organs, and that masculinization of girls sex organs will probably actually help them cope with potentially new transgendered social functions. It is only reasonable that since GE lost their supposedly last case in court on Feb 19 due to the machinations of lawyers at the Justice Department Environmental Defense Section in Washington, it makes sense that they would want to move her from heading up their environmental law department to put her in charge of the Justice Department Environmental Defense Section . Obama is trying to help. Or maybe she not liking the human being.

[aweissnet]

One other point--please don't hesitate to go to whitehouse.gov and register your comments or complaints, civilly, with our caring administration. They supposedly welcome comments. I've never gotten a reply, so who knows who reads them, but I just got a mailing the other day from the Prez promoting something. I deleted it.

I mean, I know he likes to reach out directly to the people--that's how he got elected--root for me, I'm the little guy. But he's not really accessible to us. He just used that to gain popularity. That's how I see it.

[JXJASON]

Aweissnet, I agree with you.

[WeTellTheTruth]

I agree with your ideas.............

But whithouse.gov is nothing more than a propaganda machine...........used to decieve the people.

[aweissnet]

Note to all: This is why your fellow Americans, who you call "wingnuts" are protesting actions of the administration They don't like how the average American is getting stiffed in spite of promises. They're tired of the favors to The Corporation and Wall Street.

Please, reconsider joining with them in protest, against the government, and stop slamming them.

United, we can control this government. Divided, it will increasingly control us.

If you have any doubt, ask yourself if you've had any say over any actions taken over the past few months (let alone the last 8 years). No, change has NOT come. They just keep telling you it did.

You lose freedom, money, and jobs, and the Corporation just keeps coming out on top. At least the top dogs do.

[CurtTX53]

aweissnet, I too agree.....

United/Divided standing or falling, is much more to the point then which party you find yourself in.

I do fear that there are far to few who will agree with us on this and the dice have already been rolled on where we go from here.............

Would really love to be wrong about this.

Take care, Curt