Gov.’s Pick for Pollution Panel Chairman Wins Wide Support

Three months after his initial choice of an industry lobbyist was condemned by environmentalists and rejected by Democratic legislators, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday appointed a respected air-quality scientist to chair the California Air Resources Board.

The Republican governor’s choice of Democrat Robert F. Sawyer -- a UC Berkeley emeritus energy professor who has been active on air-quality issues for decades -- is not expected to generate any significant opposition from environmental groups or the Legislature.

The appointment of Sawyer, 70, must be confirmed by the state Senate. The job pays $117,818 a year.

“I am honored Gov. Schwarzenegger has asked me to serve as chair of the world’s leading air-quality regulatory organization and look forward to the opportunity to work with him in meeting the continuing challenges of reducing air pollution in California,” Sawyer said in a written statement.

In addition to his teaching work at Berkeley over nearly four decades, Sawyer has served as an advisor to the World Bank on Mexico City air pollution and is a partner in an air-quality consulting firm.

Sawyer was said to be in Hawaii on Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

A colleague at Berkeley described Sawyer as “squeaky clean.”

Schwarzenegger’s original choice for the job was lawyer Cindy Tuck of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance, a lobbying coalition that represents many of the state’s largest sources of air pollution, including some oil refineries and power plants.

The California Air Resources Board, a statewide agency that regulates pollution from factories, motor vehicles, household products and a variety of other sources, has an international reputation as a trendsetter, making the panel’s chairman one of the state’s most important environmental positions.

The board’s most significant regulation in recent years is a rule that requires automakers to reduce tailpipe emissions of greenhouse gases from cars and trucks nearly 30% by 2016. The rule, which is being challenged in court by most of the world’s car companies, has been copied by numerous other states, including New York and Washington.

Environmentalists cheered Sawyer’s selection Thursday, calling him exceptionally qualified. Sawyer had given technical advice to environmental groups on the greenhouse gas rule.

“Terrific appointee, terrific gentleman,” said V. John White, a veteran Sacramento environmental lobbyist. “He is the type of person who could serve with honor and distinction in any administration. He knows it all, because he has been a part of the history. He has trained a generation of air-pollution engineers.”

Sara Lee, a spokeswoman for the California Chamber of Commerce, said the group looked forward to working with Sawyer.

Schwarzenegger’s original choice of Tuck became a heated political issue earlier this year -- and resulted in a political defeat for the governor.

Tuck’s supporters, who included most of the state’s business trade groups, argued that she would bring a record of evenhandedness to the post. But her detractors, who included most of the state’s environmental organizations, argued that a business lobbyist had no place in a position traditionally held by scientists with backgrounds in air quality.

Tuck wound up being rejected by the Senate in a party-line vote underscored by partisan tensions. She was later named to the less-prominent position of assistant secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, with the backing of some conservationists.