EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to Discuss Green Jobs at Black Journalists' Convention

WASHINGTON (Map) - WASHINGTON, July 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's first African American to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the honorable Lisa Jackson, will be present at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention in Tampa to discuss the work the agency is conducting to protect the health and environment of all Americans.

Jackson's address and a question-and-answer period will allow journalists in attendance to draw on the interrelationship of environmental policy, corporate America and jobs in black communities. Jackson, an influential member of President Obama's nascent cabinet, is at the forefront of a movement the President has made central to his presidency: Green Jobs.

In a special plenary session, "This Land is Our Land Too: Justice, Jobs, and Environmental Protection," on Friday, August 7, 2009 at the Tampa Convention Center, Ms. Jackson will address how much of nearly $30 billion of government investments in energy and environmental policy has trickled down to black communities.

"Lisa Jackson is a key member of the Obama team, and we expect to see her at the forefront of the changes that will be taking place in environmental and energy policy in coming years," said NABJ President Barbara Ciara. "This opportunity will give the nation's black journalists and convention attendees the opportunity to discuss the plans for change directly with one of its chief architects."

Jackson's convention appearance comes at a pivotal crossroads for the environmental movement and Congressional action to halt climate change. A cap-and-trade bill has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and skeptical environmentalists are worried that allowing market forces to determine which communities get polluted will leave the poorest most vulnerable.

Some of the most threatened communities are urban communities where African Americans reside. At the Tampa Convention, Jackson will discuss the pros and cons of leaving environmental welfare in the hands of the marketplace.

"The NABJ Convention has always been a place where today's newsmakers present themselves before the critical eye of the nation's top black journalists," said Ciara. "Lisa Jackson has said she wants the environmental community to hold her accountable. This is her chance to defend the Obama Administration's plans."

Lisa Jackson was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. She graduated summa cum laude from the School of Engineering at Tulane University before earning a master's degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University. Jackson served 16 years with the EPA before joining the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection where she rose to the rank of Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the state's top environmental enforcer. In December 2008, Jackson accepted a post as Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey. On December 15 of the same year, Jackson was nominated by President-elect Obama to serve as head of the EPA.

Past NABJ convention attendees have included then-presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The NABJ Annual Convention and Career Fair is the largest gathering of minority journalists in the country. The 2009 Convention takes place at the Tampa Convention Center Aug. 5 - 9, and welcomes hosts, speakers and sponsorship from Google, Microsoft, ESPN, CNN, Disney, Bloomberg and many others. More information is available at NABJ.org.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the nation, with more than 3,500 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.