WASHINGTON - December 27 - The following is a statement from Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, on the announced resignation of Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency:

“There has been no fiercer champion of our health and our environment than Lisa Jackson, and every American is better off today than when she took office nearly four years ago. For that, we are deeply grateful to Lisa for her service, and to President Obama for having appointed her to this vital position.

“Lisa leaves giant shoes to fill. And her successor will inherit an unfinished agenda that begins with the issuance of new health protections against carbon pollution from existing power plants—the largest remaining driver of climate change that needs to be controlled.”