Strock Called a Loyal Republican and a Committed Conservationist

His walls are filled with political biographies, and he is said to have read almost everything ever published about Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, his heroes.

“He looks to them for inspiration--their way of thinking and phraseology of their speeches,” said an aide to James M. Strock, appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson on Tuesday to head the soon-to-be created California Environmental Protection Agency.

Indeed, Strock acquired his interest in environmental protection from his reading of Roosevelt, considered the first President to be a strong conservationist, said Brian Runkel, Strock’s chief of staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington.

Friends, colleagues, professional associates and environmentalists portray Strock as a loyal Republican committed to environmental protection but also concerned that it be consistent with policies to promote economic growth.

As assistant administrator for enforcement at the federal EPA since late 1989, Strock, 34, worked aggressively and creatively to ensure that corporations and government agencies abided by environmental laws. He also brought environmental groups into the process, meeting and consulting with them regularly.

But as the Republican special counsel on the U.S. Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee in the mid-1980s, the outgoing, energetic Strock offered amendments to environmental legislation that were strongly opposed by conservation groups.

“My impression is that he is a person who carries out the policies that he is directed to help carry out,” said A. Blakeman Early, Washington representative of the Sierra Club. “So the issue will be what are the policies set by Gov. Wilson that he will carry out?”

At the EPA, he followed the direction of Administrator William Reilly and pursued aggressive enforcement. In the Senate, he delivered for Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyoming), whose views often clashed with those of environmentalists.

“Simpson was his mentor and sponsor,” said Michael Brown, an environmental attorney in Washington who previously worked for the EPA.

Before Reilly’s tenure at the agency, the EPA was criticized in numerous government reports for failing to enforce environmental laws aggressively. Strock, under Reilly, not only changed the pattern but also opened the door to conservationists who had been kept at arm’s length under former President Ronald Reagan.

In announcing his selection of Strock on Tuesday, Wilson explained how he had introduced him at his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate in November, 1989. Afterward, Strock showed his appreciation by sending him a book of Teddy Roosevelt writings.

Colleagues describe him as smart, personable and relaxed on a personal basis but driven in his work. He is said to be supportive of his underlings and sensitive to their needs. Tall, burly, and clean cut, Strock is an avid bike rider and skier and regularly works out with weights. He is known as a voracious reader who operates on little sleep.

“He is one of the most confident people I know--without being arrogant or cocky,” Runkel said. “He is very sure of himself and what he wants to do. . . . He doesn’t waste a word. He thinks carefully about what he says. He is very direct . . . straightforward.”

In his current job, Strock has put new emphasis on criminal enforcement and worked to ensure that federal government agencies comply with the same environmental standards as private corporations.

“Strock has done a good job, although his tenure has been short,” said Lawrie Mott, senior scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. “He has initiated some new ideas about how to change the enforcement approaches but hasn’t had much time to implement them.”

Strock graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University in 1977 and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1981. He is unmarried and lives in Northern Virginia, but Runkel said he considers New Orleans his home.

NEXT STEP

James Strock, Gov. Pete Wilson’s appointee to head the California Environmental Protection Agency, must be confirmed by the Senate within one year. He will oversee the creation of Cal-EPA, which will be formed by consolidating a variety of environmental functions now carried out by other agencies. The reorganization plan, which will be completed later this year, must be approved by the Legislature before it can take effect.