Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg (D-Tacoma), who was the Democratic nominee for attorney general in 2008, is very interested in becoming the Environmental Protection Agency administrator for Region 10, a source close to Ladenburg tells PolitickerWA.com.

Region 10 covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Pacific Northwest Indian Country. Oregon's Elin D. Miller currently holds the post after being appointed in late 2006.

Ladenburg, who was term limited out of his job as executive this year, is said to be far more interested in the EPA post than United States attorney despite his extensive legal experience as a prosecutor and private practice attorney.

But it would not be a sure thing. Ladenburg has a long and impressive resume in Democratic politics, and he helped the party out by taking on Attorney General Rob McKenna this fall, the rising star in the Washington State Republican Party, yet his reputation within the environmental community is somewhat mixed.

Locally in Pierce County, those in the environmental field have a favorable opinion of their county executive but, quite glaringly, Ladenburg was not endorsed by the Washington Conservation Voters, arguably the most powerful environmental interests in the state. They chose not to back either candidate in this year's attorney general race.

Clifford Traisman, a lobbyist for the WCV, would not comment about Ladenburg's status as an environmentalist except to say that there was a reason they did not endorse him this year, and such a decision was not made by accident.

Traisman did not specify why they made their decision, but the piece of Ladeburg's past that sticks out is his support for building a cross-base highway from Spanaway to Lakewood through McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis. Environmentalists strongly opposed that position, which would have reduced traffic congestion in suburban Tacoma, despite nearly every elected official in Pierce County backing it.

"We had a major disagreement with John Ladenburg on the cross-base highway," said Tahoma Audubon Society Executive Director Bryan Flint, adding that the Audubon Society fought him hard on that matter. "But if you take out that issue overall we feel like he has actually done a fairly good job."

Still, Ladenburg has received plenty of praise by environmentalists, and was endorsed by the Sierra Club.

"He has got really good credibility. He knows how to talk about quality of life and sustainability from an economic perspective," said Ryan Mello, conservation director for the Pierce County office of the Cascade Land Conservancy. "He can make a very strong argument that quality of life needs to be second to none. We would be in great shape with him. He has been leading on many of the efforts [in Pierce County]."

Flint echoed that sentiment.

"I think that, overall, John has done a lot of good things in Pierce County regarding the environment," Flint said. "He has taken a leadership position on a number of issues. He has done a lot to secure habitat and open space in Pierce County, and he has done a lot to try to advance low impact development."

Mello added that Ladenburg has been at the forefront of efforts to improve water quality and implement growth management laws as executive, working from what Melo said was essentially a blank slate when he took office in 2001.

On his campaign website, Ladenburg himself touted his history as an environmental reformer by fighting to force the EPA to clean up polluted water wells in Tacoma, and getting the city to withdraw from the Washington Public Power Supply System, which was building nuclear power plants throughout the state, including the ill-fated Satsop plant that never saw the light of day.

Beyond environmental credentials, there is also the matter of working with environmental and business interests.

Flint noted that Ladenburg has a very distinct leadership style, which Flint figured he had developed as a prosecutor.

"When he decides on something, he uses his energy to get it done," Flint said. "There is no changing his mind once his mind is made up."

Sometimes that led to disagreements, which might not be a bad thing given the "team of rivals"-type cabinet President-elect Barack Obama, whose administration oversees all appointments, has set the standard with so far.

"I wouldn't say that we ever felt like we were in a strong partnership with him, or that he was an ally of us," the Audubon executive continued. "Not that we expect to have somebody in office who is in lockstep with us. I think at a higher level, especially on environmental issues, I think his heart is in the right place.

"I think that he would struggle and need to be a little more open to gaining input before making decisions. That would be my only caution to having him in that position. When he is on your side he is great because he knows how to make things happen, and I respect him because when he is not on your side he will tell you straight to your face. He doesn't play tricks or play games."

Ultimately, Flint did not have an immediate reaction to the possibility of Ladenburg as Region 10 administrator, but was open to the possibility.

"It wouldn't scare me," he said. "It is an interesting idea."