Former EPA regional administrator to lead the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee
Robert W. Varney will assume the chairmanship of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s advisory body for 2020
Montreal, 6 January 2020—Considered one of the most experienced and respected environmental leaders in North America, Robert W. Varney will chair the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) for 2020. Mr. Varney is a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) New England regional administrator and is currently president of Normandeau Associates, a science-based environmental firm with thirteen offices in 10 states.
Varney will chair the CEC’s advisory committee next year as it holds public consultations in the three countries on pressing environmental matters of regional interest, including the CEC’s forthcoming new Strategic Plan. Following its public consultations, JPAC provides advice to the CEC Council, made up of North America’s top environmental officials. JPAC is composed of fifteen citizen volunteers (five from each country) and advises the Council on any matter within the scope of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.
“With a new trade agreement among Canada, Mexico and the United States headed towards ratification and a new Strategic Plan for the CEC on the horizon, JPAC looks forward to engaging with the public in 2020 to ensure cooperation on the environment between our three countries is as strong and effective as ever,” said Varney.
The JPAC Chair is elected for a one-year term and by rotation from among the three countries’ members. JPAC meets throughout the year in different locations throughout North America, typically in conjunction with CEC events.
Varney’s past experience includes chairing the national organization of state environmental agency heads (Environmental Council of the States), as well as the State/EPA Superfund Policy Forum and Federal Ozone Transport Commission (OTC). He was also a member of EPA’s Environmental Justice Advisory Council and served on the New Hampshire Board of Trustees for The Nature Conservancy. Current chairman of the state chapter of the Environmental Business Council of New England, Varney was recently reappointed by New Hampshire’s governor to serve on the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. Varney is the recipient of numerous environmental awards, such as the EPA Lifetime Achievement Award, the John H. Chafee Award of the New England Water Works Association, the Paul Keough Award of the Environmental Business Council of New England, and the ECOS Founder’s Award.
For more information about the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory Committee, visit www.cec.org/jpac.
About the CEC
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a parallel environmental agreement to NAFTA. As of 2020, the CEC is recognized and maintained by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement, in parallel with the new Free Trade Agreement of North America. The CEC brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including the general public, Indigenous people, youth, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and the business sector, to seek solutions to protect North America’s shared environment while supporting sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations
The CEC is governed and funded equally by the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Government of the United States of Mexico through the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and the Government of the United States of America through the Environmental Protection Agency.