A newly appointed federal administrator commended Hawaii for having amazing leadership in environmental protection that needs to be replicated throughout Region 9.

Jared Blumenfeld, former director of San Francisco's Department of the Environment, was recently appointed administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 9 by President Barack Obama.

The region covers California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 140 tribal nations, according to the EPA Web site.

During a conference call yesterday, Blumenfeld praised Hawaii for its use of photovoltaic and solar thermal technology.

“;It's off the charts compared to anywhere else in the United States,”; he said.

Blumenfeld pointed out how Region 9 is home to some of major tourist spots—including Hawaii, Las Vegas and Disneyland—where conventions are frequently held. He plans to work with communities to “;green”; convention centers.

Blumenfeld also will address a multitude of issues that involve improving underserved communities that have substandard drinking water quality, achieving zero waste and carbon neutrality, and creating jobs.

“;For every single job at a landfill or incineration, there are 12 jobs for recycling,”; said Blumenfeld.

“;Just setting a target and moving away from wasteful habits can create a huge number of jobs for people that need them.”;

Improving energy efficiency will create more jobs as opposed to building a new power plant, he added. “;There's a lot more jobs in doing the right thing environmentally than following the old polluting habit.”;