Carol Browner

Carol M. Browner (born December 16 1955) served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton Administration in the United States. She is the longest-serving administrator in the history of the agency, staying through both terms of the Clinton presidency.

Before the Clinton Administration

Browner headed the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation from 1991 to 1993. Between 1986 and 1991, she served as a key aide to Senator Lawton Chiles and then-Senator Al Gore. Earlier in her career, she worked for Citizen Action as its associate director and served as general counsel to the Florida House Committee on Government Operations.

She received her undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Florida in 1977 and 1979.

During the Clinton Administration

Browner's eight year tenure was essentially a study in creating what is termed 'greenwash' - i.e. creating a sociopolitically palatable, or even pro-environment image for activities and policies that in reality are intensely destructive of the environment. Her most significant role was her sustained efforts to greenwash the U.S.'s ongoing participation in the so-called North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has set the U.S. on a scorched earth course of social and environmental policy dictated by powerful corporate interests. Now, over a decade later, the time for conjecture and promises is over: the data are in and they clearly show the damage NAFTA has wrought for millions of people in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

This is the view of countless well informed environmental professionals with extensive knowledge of both Carol Browner's career and the effects of the dominant brand of 'globalization' our nation has been involved with over the protests of the popular voice and will of the people.

The remainder of this introduction presents the alternative view of Ms. Browner, namely that she is a credible professional who succeeded in advancing environmental protection. This flys in the face of the mountain of proof to the contrary.

When Republicans took control of Congress after the 1994 elections, she took the lead in the Clinton Administration in successfully fighting efforts by the Republicans, especially in the House of Representatives, to weaken the Clean Water Act. She was able to work in a bipartisan manner, though, with Congressional Republicans in helping craft amendments to strengthen the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Food Quality Protection Act.

Browner came from Florida with a reputation as someone who could work with the private sector. While at EPA, she expanded the Agency's flexible public-private partnerships as alternatives to traditional regulation through Project XL (designed to find common sense, cost effective solutions to environmental issues at individual facilities) and the Common Sense Initiative (targeted at efforts involving entire industry sectors).

Browner also started EPA's successful brownfields program, which, during her tenure, helped facilitate cleanups of contaminated facilities, especially in urban areas, and which leveraged more than $1 billion in public and private funds for cleanups.

After the Clinton Administration

After the Clinton Adminsitration, Browner joined the Albright Group, a "global strategy group" headed by United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. As a Principal in that firm, Browner assists businesses and other organizations with the challenges of operating internationally, including the challenges of complying with environmental regulations.