Robert Perciasepe
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Robert Perciasepe is an American former government official who currently serves as a senior adviser to the nonprofit
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is an environmental nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia. Launched in 2011, C2ES is the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. C2ES lobbies policymakers to promote t ...
, following his role as President of the organization. Pericasepe also serves as Board Chair to th
George B. Storer Foundation
and as a Board member for th
Keystone Policy Center
He served as the Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...
during the administration of
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. Prior to joining the Obama administration, Perciasepe was Chief Operating Officer for the environmental conservation non-profit
National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...
. Before that, he served in the administration of President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
as the EPA's Assistant Administrator for clean water and then later as the Assistant Administrator for clean air. Prior to that time he served as Maryland's Secretary of the Environment after holding the positions of Chief of Capital Planning and Assistant Director for Planning for the city of
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
.


Early life and career

Born in
New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...
, Perciasepe was raised in
Brewster, New York Brewster is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village and the principal settlement within the town (New York), town of Southeast, New York, Southeast in Putnam County, New York, Putnam County, New York (state), New York, United Sta ...
and later
Ancram, New York Ancram is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,440 at the 2020 census,US Census Bureau, 2020 census, Ancram town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q ...
. He attended Immaculate High School in
Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...
, graduating in 1969. In 1974 he graduated from
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
in natural resources and in 1976 received his
Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in Planning and Public Administration from the
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (Maxwell School) is the professional public policy school of Syracuse University, a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The school is organized in 11 academic departments and 1 ...
at
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
. After graduation, Perciasepe began working in the
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
City Planning Department (1976–80), where he later served as Chief of Capital Planning (1980–86) and as Assistant Director for Planning (1986–87). In 1987, Perciasepe joined the
Maryland Department of the Environment The Maryland Department of the EnvironmentMDE is a government agency in the state of Maryland that implements and enforces environmental protection laws and programs. The agency's stated vision is "Healthy, vibrant and sustainable communities and ...
(MDE), serving as Assistant Secretary of Planning and Capital Programs until 1989, when he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the full Department by then
Maryland Governor The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...
William Donald Schaefer William Donald Schaefer (November 2, 1921 – April 18, 2011) was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. As a Democrat, he was the 45th mayor of Baltimore from December 197 ...
. In 1987, Governor Schaefer appointed Martin Walsh as the first Secretary of the Environment. After Governor Schaefer was re-elected in 1990, he announced that he would "reorganize his administration," appointing Perciasepe to be Walsh's replacement as Maryland's Secretary of the Environment, thus making Perciasepe the second Secretary of MDE. During his tenure as Secretary of the Environment, Perciasepe oversaw the agency's $59 million budget and 770 employees. While there, he took actions that included re-evaluating the
Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
Program's efforts to reduce harmful nutrients, chairing the Northeast Ozone Transport Commission for cleaner regional air quality, reducing emissions from cars, and initiating new recycling requirements.


Early EPA career

In 1993, President Clinton appointed Perciasepe to serve as EPA's Assistant Administrator for Water. While in that job, Perciasepe guided development of the Clean Water Action Plan for slowing
wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
loss. Perciasepe headed the Clinton Administration's engagement with the
U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...
in support of passage of new amendments to strengthen the nation's
Safe Drinking Water Act The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is the primary federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to set standards for drinking wa ...
- amendments signed into law by President Clinton on August 6, 1996. He was in charge of implementing the new provisions set forth under those amendments, which included setting more protective health standards for drinking water quality, expanding citizen right-to-know information about the quality of their tap water, and improving local infrastructure through a new multibillion-dollar state revolving loan fund. In 1998, President Clinton appointed Perciasepe to become the EPA's Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. While head of EPA's clean air program, he took action to reduce harmful emissions from cars and heavy duty trucks by requiring reduced sulfur content in gasoline and diesel fuel. He oversaw initial findings on the need to reduce levels of mercury emitted by power plants. And he worked to ensure that EPA standards for any potential nuclear waste repository – for instance, such as the one once proposed for
Yucca Mountain Yucca Mountain is a mountain in Nevada, near its border with California, approximately northwest of Las Vegas. Located in the Great Basin, Yucca Mountain is east of the Amargosa Desert, south of the Nevada Test and Training Range and in the ...
– will be protective of human health.


National Audubon Society

After leaving the Clinton Administration in 2001, Perciasepe joined the
National Audubon Society The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...
as Senior Vice President for Public Policy and head of the Washington, DC, office. In 2004, he was named Chief Operating Officer of the Society, where he coordinated efforts to protect
wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
. While there, Perciasepe also worked with the Board of Directors to establish Audubon Centers in urban areas like Columbus, Dallas and Phoenix to expand access to nature education in underserved communities.


Deputy Administrator of the EPA

On May 18, 2009, President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
announced his intentions to nominate Perciasepe as Deputy Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...
and the official nomination came one month later. Perciasepe was confirmed by the Senate on December 24, 2009, becoming the Agency's Deputy Administrator. On February 15, 2013,
EPA Administrator The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air Act (United States), Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as ...
Lisa P. Jackson Lisa Perez Jackson (born February 8, 1962) is an American chemical engineer who served as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2009 to 2013. She wa ...
resigned from her post and Perciasepe was named Acting Administrator in addition to his Deputy role. On July 19, 2013,
EPA Administrator The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air Act (United States), Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as ...
Gina McCarthy Regina McCarthy (born May 3, 1954) is an American air quality expert who served as the first White House national climate advisor from 2021 to 2022. She previously served as the thirteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency fr ...
was sworn in, and Perciasepe resumed his role as Deputy Administrator. He became president of the
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is an environmental nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia. Launched in 2011, C2ES is the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. C2ES lobbies policymakers to promote t ...
(C2ES) on August 11, 2014, and served as president until 2021. Perciasepe now serves as a senior adviser on climate change to a limited number of institutions including C2ES. He also serves on a number of non-profit boards.


References


External links


Perciasepe biography
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Perciasepe, Bob 1951 births Administrators of the United States Environmental Protection Agency American chief operating officers Clinton administration personnel Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni Living people Maryland Democrats Obama administration cabinet members 21st-century American politicians People from Brewster, New York Politicians from New Rochelle, New York Politicians from Baltimore State cabinet secretaries of Maryland Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni