Last modified: Friday, September 1, 2006
Jim Barnes appointed chair of EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 1, 2006
A. James Barnes
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A. James Barnes, professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and adjunct professor in the School of Law, became the new chair of the Environmental Financial Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month.
"I am pleased to have this opportunity to continue to contribute in a significant way to the cause of environmental protection in this country," Barnes said. "From the perspective of Indiana University, my role on EFAB accords me an opportunity to bring knowledge of cutting edge problems and innovative solutions into my classes at IU -- and the contacts I make and maintain with the agency and other members of the board often are useful in helping place IU students in jobs in the environmental field."
EFAB consults on topics related to financing environmental infrastructure, such as waste water treatment, water supply and waste disposal facilities. The board's work concerns reducing costs, creating incentives for increasing private investment and implementing public-private partnerships, increasing the capacity of state and local governments to carry out their responsibilities under federal laws, and increasing the total investment in environmental protection of public and private resources. Its 21 members are drawn from banking, finance and legal fields, business and industry, academia, state and local governments, public interest organizations and environmental finance consultants.
Barnes has been a member of EFAB for several years and most recently served as the co-chair of the Financial Assurance Workgroup. Barnes was involved in the establishment of the EPA in 1970 and served as chief of staff to its first administrator, William D. Ruckelshaus. Barnes later returned to the agency to serve as its general counsel from 1983 to 1985 and as deputy administrator, the number two position in the agency, from 1985 to 1988. He also served as general counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1983 to 1985.
Barnes was dean of SPEA from 1988 to 2000. During his tenure as dean, SPEA was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No.3 program in public affairs and the No.1 program in environmental policy. From 1967 to 1969, Barnes was a faculty member in IU's business school, now the Kelley School of Business. He has co-authored several leading textbooks with members of the Kelley School's business law faculty, including Business Law: The Ethical, global, and E-Commerce Environment, now in its 13th edition, and Law for Business, now in its 10th edition. He is a member of the National Academy of Public Administration and served for a number of years on the board of directors of the Long Island Lighting Company, a large public utility located in New York.
The IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, located on eight campuses, focuses on curriculum and research that are distinguished by a vigorous interdisciplinary approach to education and problem-solving. It is committed to teaching, research and service in areas such as public and nonprofit management, public policy, environmental science, criminal justice, arts administration and health administration. The school maintains continuing relationships with a large number of public agencies at all levels of government; public and private hospitals and health organizations; and nonprofit organizations and corporations in the private sector.
The Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington ranks among the top 15 public schools in the nation and in the top 20 percent of all accredited law schools nationwide. Its graduates include state, federal and international judges, managing partners of national law firms, professors, business leaders and accomplished public servants throughout the nation and the world.
To speak with Barnes, contact Jenny Cohen, (812) 855-6802 or jercohen@indiana.edu.
