Marianne L. Horinko, an Americann politician, was named Acting EPA Administrator by US President George W. Bush on July 10, 2003. Prior to this appointment she had served as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since being confirmed by the US Senate on October 1, 2001.
During her tenure as Assistant Administrator, Ms. Horinko refocused the goals of her office around five major priorities: Homeland Security/Emergency Response; One Cleanup Program; Land Revitalization; Energy Recovery, Recycling & Waste Minimization; a Retail Environmental Initiative (the Resource Conservation Challenge) and Workforce Development.
Following the events of September 11, Ms. Horinko learned that she had both war time and peace time responsibilities, and spent her first few months at EPA in the unprecedented and unexpected role of assisting in environmental cleanup activities at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the U.S. Capitol due to anthrax contamination.
In 2003, as National Program manager, she oversaw EPA’s response to the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster. As a result of these experiences, she has led the way in crafting the groundbreaking National Approach to Response.
She has brought new approaches to environmental protection using partnerships, flexibility and innovation to create environmental improvements rather than the old command and control systems of the past. The Brownfields program, signed into law by President Bush in 2002, is a model for many of OSWER's efforts, as it is the embodiment of these new approaches to environmental protection. Under her leadership, the budget for the Brownfields program has doubled.
Prior to joining EPA, Ms. Horinko was President of Clay Associates, Inc., a national environmental policy consulting firm. She was responsible for launching the RCRA Policy Forum, a membership organization comprised of federal and state governments, environmental groups, Hill staff, and industries interested in furthering constructive dialogue to improve the nation's waste programs.
During the first Bush Administration, Ms. Horinko was Attorney Advisor to Don Clay, EPA's Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response. In that capacity she was responsible for RCRA regulatory issues and Superfund reauthorization.
Before joining EPA, Ms. Horinko was an attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, involved in the areas of pesticides and hazardous waste counseling, Clean Water Act and Superfund litigation, and environmental audits in connection with business transactions. She was responsible for both the Superfund Settlements Project and the Information Network for Superfund Settlements, a policy group of over 120 companies, law firms, and other organizations headquartered in ML&B's Washington office.
Ms. Horinko is an alumna of the University of Maryland, College Park (B.S. in analytical chemistry, 1982) and Georgetown University Law School (J.D., 1986). She is married and has two children.
