Interview with James (Jim) Seif

Jim Seif discusses the origins of his commitment to environmental protection and how this and his political activism have shaped his career

Audio Track - Chapter 1 - 9 minutes

THE INDIVIDUAL CHAPTERS

The individual "chapters" of the discussion are available for viewing individually as is the complete interview (53 minutes).

Chapter 1: A Public and Private Sector Career in Environmental Protection (9 minutes)

Jim Seif discusses the origins of his commitment to environmental protection and how this and his political activism have shaped his career

Chapter 2: Early Days of Environmental Enforcement (8 minutes)

Seif describes his experience as a young Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting steel companies for water pollution before the Clean Water Act existed and his first tour at EPA as one of the agency’s first enforcement attorneys.

Chapter 3: State-EPA Relations (7 minutes)

Jim Seif describes how, in his view, time and experience have forever altered the state-federal relationships, while explaining that state-federal tension is a deliberate and valuable feature of the U.S. Constitution.

Chapter 4: Public-Private Relations (15 minutes)

Seif describes what he sees as unalterable cultural differences between the public and private sectors, discusses how both parties could benefit from working together, and outlines some ways to reduce the gap between these two worlds.

Chapter 5: The Future of Environmental Protection (14 minutes)

Seif discusses the future of EPA and environmental regulation, and the steps he would take to address the agency’s most important political and management challenges.

THE INTERVIEW AS A WHOLE (53 minutes)

Jim Seif, former Regional Administrator in EPA’s Region 3 and Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection discusses his experiences during a 45-year career in environmental regulation.  

The introduction to the interview is as follows:

Jim Seif began as a federal prosecutor handling some of the first water pollution cases in America, joined EPA as one of its first enforcement attorneys, and spent over a decade in private practice representing corporate clients.  Seif’s insights are unique and compelling, and invaluable to understanding the past and future of environmental protection.

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