Obama Picks Deputy Ag Secretary
Posted: February 23, 2009
President Barack Obama has announced his intention to nominate Kathleen Merrigan as deputy secretary of the Agriculture Department.
Merrigan is no stranger to USDA, having served as administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service under President Clinton from 1999 to 2001. She is currently Assistant Professor and Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment MS and PhD Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston MA.
Because Merrigan helped develop USDA’s U.S. organic food labeling rules and has been involved in organic policy on both the national and international levels, her choice is being well received by organizations such as the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which were disappointed with Obama’s pick of Tom Vilsack for secretary of agriculture. No reaction yet from agriculture groups on her nomination.
President Obama also named his choice for Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, a position that will play an important role in implementing the Renewable Fuels Standard.
Jon Cannon is currently a professor of environmental law as well as the director of the Environmental and Land Use Law Program at the University of Virginia. He also served at the Environmental Protection Agency during three previous administrations – Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton – eventually rising to general counsel.
Both still must be confirmed by the Senate before taking on their new roles.
Colette Said,
February 26, 2009 @ 4:44 pm
These people aren’t farmers, they haven’t been out there or in a spot to understand. No matter how much you go to school for doesn’t mean you are right for the job. Some one who Knows what its like to work on farmers and how farms really work. and really cares about farms should be in those positions. Otherwise you have people not caring what happens to us the farmers. Its just plain sad, that our country has come to this.