Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board
Encyclopedia
The Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (EQB) was founded by Governor
Luis A. Ferré
in 1970, a year before the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The EQB is the principal environmental protection regulator in Puerto Rico. Its 3 members and one alternate member are appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico with the advice and consent of the Senate of Puerto Rico
. The Governor appoints one of its members as Chairman of the EQB.
Its first chairman was Cruz Matos, under Governor Ferré, and has also been chaired by other prominent Puerto Ricans, including Pedro Gelabert, under Gov. Carlos Romero Barceló
. Both Matos and Gelabert went on to serve as Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
, under Governors Rafael Hernández Colón
and Pedro Rosselló
, respectively. Its current chairman, appointed by Gov. Luis Fortuño
, is Pedro Nieves.
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Luis A. Ferré
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
in 1970, a year before the creation of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The EQB is the principal environmental protection regulator in Puerto Rico. Its 3 members and one alternate member are appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico with the advice and consent of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
. The Governor appoints one of its members as Chairman of the EQB.
Its first chairman was Cruz Matos, under Governor Ferré, and has also been chaired by other prominent Puerto Ricans, including Pedro Gelabert, under Gov. Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
. Both Matos and Gelabert went on to serve as Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources was created by Law 23 of June 20, 1972, during the governorship of Luis A. Ferré. In 1973, as a gesture of bipartisanship, Ferré's successor, Gov. Rafael Hernández Colón appointed his predecessor's Puerto Rico Environmental Quality...
, under Governors Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
and Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
, respectively. Its current chairman, appointed by Gov. Luis Fortuño
Luis Fortuño
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico , a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State...
, is Pedro Nieves.