John Hankinson to Lead Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force

On Monday, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson named a familiar face to Florida as the executive director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force -- John Hankinson, who was the regional administrator who oversaw the Sunshine State during the Clinton administration and headed up the Planning and Acquisition Department and theOffice of Land Acquisitionfor the St. Johns River Water Management District. He also was with the Legal Environment Assistance Foundation in Tallahassee and served as a policy analyst in the Office of Planning and Budgeting under Gov. Bob Graham.

Were pleased that John has accepted this responsibility and is willing once again to step up and serve the people of the Gulf Coast, said Jackson. He will play an instrumental role in fulfilling our commitment to a full and lasting restoration of this area. Johns longtime experience with these issues and this region, along with his proven ability to get things done, will be invaluable assets in what is sure to be a long-term, hard-fought battle to restore the waters of the Gulf. I have every confidence in him.

I spent my childhood on the Gulf and I am proud and honored to have the opportunity to carry out the presidents commitment to restoring this vital ecosystem, said Hankinson. I look forward to hearing from everyone in the Gulf Coast from community groups to businesses to scientists as we go about restoring a national treasure that also happens to be an economic engine for the entire region.

I am pleased to see the selection of John H. Hankinson Jr. as the executive director of the task force focused on restoring the Gulf after the oil spill, said Gov. Charlie Crist. As a Floridian with many years of experience working on environmental issues, John understands the strong link between Floridas economy and the Gulf, especially for our tourism and seafood industries. Nothing is more important to Floridas future than cleaning up any oil that remains in the Gulf of Mexico."