“The acknowledgment of Bono and Bill and Melinda Gates by Time Magazine reflects the growing importance of philanthropy in society. The field of philanthropy is enduring a spectacular change fueled mostly by growth in size -- we have witnessed a 19% growth in the number of foundations in America during the past ten years -- and character. New and novel initiatives rise daily creating, in many respects, a time of optimism and creativity. Philanthropy is unique in that its resources go to creating long-term solutions and provides the opportunity and mandate to explore new creative solutions in ways not appropriate for public dollars. I think we have only just begun to see just how far this renewed interest in philanthropy is going to take us.”
“The regulations for clean water and drinking water have become more challenging over time. At the same time, growth has changed dramatically. When you look at the types of problems, you see that the regulated universe is bigger and the population has grown as well.”
“Foundations are clearly in an era of public scrutiny because we are growing in size and service, and in public awareness, It sends a signal to this sector to take steps to police itself.”
“I beg to differ. I respond to what they (council members) want ... When they want me, I'm here. I guess the biggest function I have is to keep them out of trouble.”
“It is not like the sky is falling. The presence of mercury in Colorado lakes is kind of spotty and it is fairly complicated because there is no pattern.”
“It could be a variety of things that may require them to fine-tune their system. In our enforcement, we take into consideration not only impacts to the environment, as well as whether we have a pattern (of problems), but also how responsive they are in trying to fix the problem.”
“Based on what we know, none of the information we've seen suggests either legal or ethical violations. Because we've seen no evidence of inappropriate conduct, we're concerned that the motivations behind the inquiry are political rather than substantive.”
