Lisa Jackson has handed in her resignation as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In her letter to President Obama, Jackson thank the President "for the honor he bestowed on me and the confidence he placed in me four years ago . . ." Jackson also said she leaves the EPA "confident the ship is sailing in the right direction. . . ."

The president, for his part, praised Jackson, saying:

"Over the last four years, Lisa Jackson has shown an unwavering commitment to the health of our families and our children. Under her leadership, the EPA has taken sensible and important steps to protect the air we breathe and the water we drink, including implementing the first national standard for harmful mercury pollution, taking important action to combat climate change under the Clean Air Act, and playing a key role in establishing historic fuel economy standards that will save the average American family thousands of dollars at the pump, while also slashing carbon pollution. Lisa has been an important part of my team, and I want to thank her for her service in my Administration and her tireless efforts to benefit the American people. I wish her all the best wherever her future takes her."

Jackson made sweeping changes to environmental regulations--to the consternation of industry. However, environmental groups have been insistent in their assessment that she has not gone far enough in protecting the public and the environment. She has also been a lightning rod in Congress and a favorite target of Republicans who think the current EPA an Agency gone wild with regulation.