Water Protection Leader Named New Bay Program Director

Annapolis, Md. (March 28, 2007) - Jeffrey L. Lape, who has helped lead key government initiatives to combat water pollution and protect watersheds, has been selected as the new director of the Bay Program Office. Lape will replace Rebecca Hanmer, who will retire this month after serving in the position since March 2002.

“Jeff has the leadership skills, experience and commitment necessary to build on our progress in restoring and protecting North America 's largest estuary,” said Donald S. Welsh, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's mid-Atlantic region.

Lape has a record of “bringing people together and solving problems,” according to Welsh. Lape also has a strong background in the technical, legal and policy aspects of watershed management, and a wide range of environmental experience in federal, state and local government and the private sector in a more than 30-year career.

• For the majority of his 16 years with the EPA, Lape has served in key positions involving leadership in national water pollution control strategies. He helped to spearhead EPA's reform efforts with industrial wastewater management, combined sewer overflows, animal feeding operations, watershed-based permitting and several other Clean Water Act programs.

• Most recently, Lape has served as the Dispute Resolution Specialist for the EPA's Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center in the Office of General Counsel. There, he advocated for the use of collaborative strategies to bring parties together to resolve environmental issues. He has also overseen a variety of cases involving Superfund remediation, interstate water quality conflicts and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits.

“It is truly an honor to be entrusted with this responsibility,” said Lape. “I look forward to meeting and working with the partners, stakeholders and all involved in the Bay's restoration. As someone who grew up on a lake in the Adirondacks and focused my education and career on improving the environment, this is a tremendous opportunity. I can't wait to get started.”

Lape, who resides in Chevy Chase, Md., with his wife and three sons, has lived in the Chesapeake watershed for 26 years. He earned a bachelor's degree in environmental science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh and a master's degree in environmental science and engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Welsh praised outgoing director Hanmer for her accomplishments as head of the Bay Program Office.

“Rebecca has been a strong advocate for the Chesapeake Bay,” said Welsh. “Her passion for the Bay and her dedication to its improvement has helped the program take vital steps toward recovery.”