By Noah Graff
Christine Todd Whitman (Photo from Associated Press)
Christine Todd Whitman served as the EPA administrator under President Bush from 2001-2003 and was the Governor of New Jersey from 1994-2001. Currently she heads the Republican political action committee, It’s My Party Too, and is president of the Whitman Strategy Group, an organization which helps corporations deal with environmental issues
Christine, how would you summarize the mission of the Whitman Strategy Group?
We focus on helping businesses, utilities and local governments improve their environmental profile, helping them find ways that they can cut their emissions into the atmosphere with programs which they might not have known about. We also introduce them to new technology from time to time. A lot of the manufacturers who read our magazine face a great deal of difficulty with the EPA and OSHA. Can you tell me what a small company can do when faced with expensive environmental problems? Often the problems companies face can be avoided. They just need to know where to look and what to look for. Companies often feel they need to go to the top person in the region or in the state. The decision-maker is usually further down the line, and they’re apt to get a better hearing there than if they try go to the top person.
Ideally, how would you change the EPA to be friendlier towards businesses?
I would allow more opportunity for the agency to work creatively in the private sector. That is not to say that we don’t still need regulations and that we don’t still need enforcement.
