EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson Is the Winner of the 2010 Peter A. A. Berle Environmental Integrity Award

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being issued by The Century Foundation:

WHAT:  Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will receive the 2010 Peter A. A. Berle Environmental Integrity Award from The Century Foundation. The award recognizes demonstrated courage and integrity in defense of the environment by public officials and private citizens in the United States.

William K. Reilly, former EPA administrator and currently co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, will present the award.

WHEN:  Thursday, December 16, lunch at 12:00 p.m., award presentation is at 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, 14th and F Streets, Washington, D.C.

RSVP: Laurie Ahlrich, [email protected] or (212) 452 -7722

The Peter A. A. Berle Environmental Integrity Award is given annually to up to two U.S. citizens who, through action or scholarship, provide innovative leadership in helping the United States and the world confront the challenges of climate change, renewable energy, depletion of the oceans, species extinction, air, water and soil contamination, and the urban environment. The award was established last year to honor the life and work of environmental leader Peter Berle.

The Century Foundation presents this award in cooperation with the National Audubon Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, and former colleagues of Peter A. A. Berle. Representatives of these organizations served on the selection committee.

As EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson is focusing on core issues of protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination in our communities, and reducing greenhouse gases. She has made it a priority to focus on vulnerable groups including children, the elderly, and low-income communities that are particularly susceptible to environmental and health threats. Jackson is the first African-American to serve as EPA administrator. She previously served as chief of staff to New Jersey governor Jon S. Corzine and commissioner of the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), where she was widely praised for spearheading groundbreaking emissions regulations in the state.

SOURCE The Century Foundation