EPA deputy administrator nominee steps down

By Brian Drew
Internet Editor,
FederalNewsRadio

The nominee for deputy administrator for the environmental Protection Agency has stepped down.

Jon Cannon said he made his decision because of his former involvement with the now-defunct America’s Clean Water Foundation, where he once served on the board of directors.

“While my service on the board of that now-dissolved organization is not the subject of the scrutiny, I believe the energy and environmental challenges facing our nation are too great to delay confirmation for this position,” says Cannon in a prepared release, “and I do not wish to present any distraction to the agency.”

The EPA’s inspector general’s concluded in 2007 that the foundation mismanaged $25 million in EPA grants.

“I’m disappointed that Jon Cannon will be unable to serve as Deputy Administrator, and I thank him for his many years of dedication to the EPA,” says EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Jackson added that the agency will be moving quickly to find a new candidate for the position.

Cannon is currently a professor of environmental law at the University of Virginia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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On the Web:

EPA – Statement on Jon Cannon

EPA – 2007 IG Report (pdf)

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