Washington, DC – League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Board Chair and former EPA administrator Carol M. Browner issued the following statement on the passing of the United States’ first-ever administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Bill Ruckelshaus:

“Bill Ruckelshaus was a giant in the conservation and environmental community and his legacy is apparent in every breath of clean air we take and every galls of clean water we drink. Bill always put public health first, and was a stalwart defender of EPA’s mission. His leadership generally, and in particular among the small cadre of people who have been fortunate to serve as EPA Administrator, will be missed.

“As the first EPA administrator he put the EPA on the map and built it into the fierce public health protector it has been over the years. His second stint as Administrator rebuilt its authority and he always kept a careful watch to ensure the agency fulfilled its mission, no matter who served as Administrator. I feel honored to have followed in his footsteps at the EPA and to have upheld the standard he set to uphold the EPA’s mission to protect our health and environment.”

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