Spurned on smog, Lisa Jackson has a choice to make

Will EPA chief Lisa Jackson stay or go? That’s the new parlor game among Washington insiders after the White House publicly undercut the agency’s attempts to install tougher regulations on smog. Since the White House’s announcement Friday, Jackson hasn’t spoken publicly on the rule beyond an official statement touting the president’s leadership on clean air issues. Someone who has spoken with Jackson since Friday told POLITICO she’s still digesting it all and hasn’t shared even with those closest to her what her thinking is. President Barack Obama invited Jackson on Air Force One Sunday when he toured areas of New Jersey that had been damaged by Hurricane Irene. Jackson served as a New Jersey state official for several years. As the EPA administrator, Jackson’s been a loyal foot soldier for the Obama administration, leading the Gulf Coast Restoration Task Force and fighting congressional Republicans tooth and nail on environmental regulations. “I certainly think the White House genuinely wants her to be comfortable with this decision and to stay,” an administration source said. A White House official said Obama expects Jackson will stay with the administration. Jackson didn’t get much of a heads up prior to the announcement, prompting criticism from greens that the White House had blindsided the EPA chief. An administration official said that the White House didn’t notify the agency of the decision until last Thursday — and that the EPA was not involved in the decision-making process...more