Rhode Islander Clears Hurdle to EPA Post

The US Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee today signed off on Rode Islander Cynthia Giles' nomination to the Environmental Protection Agency's top enforcement post. From Sheldon Whitehouse's office:

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, applauded the committee’s voice vote today endorsing the nomination of Cynthia Giles, of Barrington, RI, to be the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.  “I have known and worked with Cynthia for years, and have seen firsthand her leadership in my state of Rhode Island on many critical environmental issues, including clean energy and climate change, water pollution and management, and state environmental agency performance,” Whitehouse said.  “She knows how to get things done for our environment and public health, and she will be a great asset to the Obama Administration and the American people to ensure that our nation’s environmental protection laws are followed.”Giles is currently Vice President and Director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Rhode Island Advocacy Center.  She previously served at the EPA Region III office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, helping EPA and Region III states to enforce and implement federal environmental laws and regulations.   Prior to her work at EPA, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Pennsylvania with a focus on environmental enforcement activities. 

She is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.