"Jackson Summons Top Aides for Budget Pow-Wow as GOP Sharpens Knife"

"In the face of drastic funding cuts and a hostile political environment, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has told her top deputies to rank which of their programs they deem to be essential and which could fall on the budgetary chopping block.

Last week, Jackson got an update on those priorities when she summoned about 50 senior regional officials and top headquarters staff for closed-door meetings in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and Friday.

'I think the administrator and the budget people want to get a feel from the leaders of the organization what they think is the best way to deal with' the likely budget cuts, said Charles Orzehoskie, president of EPA's chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees and one of two union officials invited to the meeting. 'There's been work going on before that meeting, evaluating, ranking things.'"

John McArdle reports for Greenwire July 19, 2011.