There are two things that the end of a year and the end of an administration have in common: most of the people are happy to see them gone, and they reflect on the missed opportunities and regrets.
This year is unusual only in its extremes. President Bush is leaving the White House as possibly the most unpopular president in the history. And when it comes to the environment, well, let's just say that he's one of our brownest leaders.
Environmental Protection Administration leader Stephen L. Johnson did not soften the Bush White House's blows. According to the excellent investigation by John Shiffman and John Sullivan of the Philadelphia Inquirer, during his years at EPA, protection of the environment and public health was put on the hold.
This came as a surprise to environmental groups, EWG included, who praised Johnson when he was tapped to lead the agency. We believed he was a good scientist who would base his decisions and leadership on science, not politics. He reached out to us, saying that he looked forward to working together. That was the last we heard of him.
His tenure was highly politicized: Shiffman and Sullivan give example after example of how the White House and industry heavily influenced agency decisions. Johnson approved human testing of pesticides and hid dangers of global warming.
If you are interested in more background on Steve, check out the fantastic investigation done by Shiffman and Sullivan. For me, I know that he won't make my "people I will miss" list.
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