New England environmentalist nominated to EPA post

By Foon Rhee, Globe Staff

President Obama today nominated a New England environmentalist to be a top regulator at the Environmental Protection Agency.

He announced his selection of Cynthia J. Giles as assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance at EPA. She is vice president and director of the Conservation Law Foundation's Rhode Island advocacy center, where she has focused on climate change. From 2001 to 2005, she headed the Bureau of Resource Protection at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

Her mini biography from the White House is below:

Cynthia Giles is Vice President and Director of Conservation Law Foundation's Rhode Island Advocacy Center, where she has focused on state and regional advocacy to combat climate change. From 2001 to 2005, Cynthia served as head of the Bureau of Resource Protection at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Giles worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a variety of capacities from 1991 to 1997. From 1995-1997, she was Enforcement Director for Region 3 and developed a "results-targeted" approach to enforcement, which she has since published in a paper written for OECA. Her responsibilities included overseeing enforcement of federal laws regulating toxics and protecting air, drinking water and surface water. She also chaired a regional ozone compliance initiative, developing strategies for reducing smog-causing emissions from stationary sources. Prior to joining EPA, Giles was an Assistant United States Attorney, where she prosecuted violations of federal environmental laws. She holds a BA from Cornell University, as well as a JD from the University of California at Berkeley and an MPA from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. She is admitted to the bar in the State of Rhode Island, U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island and State of Pennsylvania.