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Barbara Sheen Todd Named to National Advisory Committee

Release Date: 06/17/2004
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, [email protected]

Ms. Barbara Sheen Todd, Pinellas County Commissioner, has been named to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Local Government Advisory Committee. The Committee provides EPA Administrator Michael Leavitt with advice and recommendations to help build partnerships with local governments to better protect the nation's environment. Commissioner Todd will be one of 31 representatives from different regions of the country who will meet on a regular basis with EPA. Commissioner Todd was first elected to the Pinellas County Commission in 1980, in which she currently serves as a member. She has held leadership roles with the Florida Association of Counties, including President and as a member of the state Board of Directors; and as the past President of the National Association of Counties (NACo). Commissioner Todd was appointed by former President Bush to represent America's Counties on the U.S. Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations. She was a member of the Management Advisory Group that advised the Environmental Protection Agency on water policy issues. Commissioner Todd serves on the NatureServe Advisory Panel for the Decision-Support System to ensure that it meets the needs of local communities. A substantial part of EPA's mission involves developing and enforcing Federal regulations to protect and improve the environment. Local governments are essential partners in this mission. Serving as both regulators and regulated entities, they implement major environmental regulations and provide community services such as drinking water treatment, waste water treatment and solid waste management. Local governments also play a key role in addressing environmental issues such as clean air, clean water, and sustainable development. The Local Government Advisory Committee was formed in 1993. The group has provided recommendations to the Agency on a broad range of topics including communications, flexibility, strategic planning, regulatory innovation and reform, environmental protection tools, pollution prevention, new technologies, and roles of various levels of government.