Tuesday, June 22, 2010 8:46 AM
Law Prof, Former Justice Official To Be Executive Director Of Oil Spill Commission
By Staff, NationalJournal.com
The co-chairs of the president's BP oil spill commission have hired Georgetown University law professor and author Richard Lazarus to serve as executive director, according to an informed source who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of an official announcement.
The commission co-chairs -- former Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., and William Reilly, EPA administrator under President George H.W. Bush -- flew to Washington last week to interview candidates, sources told National Journal.
Lazarus teaches environmental law at Georgetown and served in the Justice Department twice, once in the Natural Resources Division from 1979-1983, and later in the Solicitor General's Office from 1986-1989. He was a member of Bill Clinton's presidential transition team focused on the Justice Department in 1992-1993. He has represented U.S., state, local and environmental organizations in the U.S. Supreme Court in 37 cases, according to his online biography. Lazarus earned a B.S. in chemistry and a B.A. in economics from the University of Illinois, and his law degree from Harvard.
The president has asked Congress for a budget of $15 million for the commission, and tasked the panel to report within six months on the causes of the Deepwater Horizon drilling catastrophe, with recommendations to help prevent future offshore oil drilling accidents. Some lawmakers are weighing whether to grant the commission subpoena power.
Obama on June 14 appointed five other commissioners to assist Graham and Reilly: Frances Beinecke, Donald Boesch, Terry Garcia, Cherry Murray and Frances Ulmer.
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