California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Alan Lloyd will step down at the end of February, a little more than a year after he was appointed, just as major battles are shaping up over the effects of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's far-reaching infrastructure and air emissions plans.
Lloyd, who turned 64 on Tuesday, said he was retiring for personal reasons. His wife remained in Reno while Lloyd took the post, overseeing half a dozen powerful air and water agencies in the state.
"Believe me, it's been a very tough and personal decision," Lloyd said. "I loved the job, I loved working for the people of California."
"His wife wanted him home," said a longtime friend.
Lloyd, a research scientist, was picked by Democratic Gov. Gray Davis to head the California Air Resources Board and later kept on by Schwarzenegger, a Republican, who appointed him to run the state EPA in December 2004. Lloyd led California's delegation to the global warming conference in Montreal last fall, where he promoted the state's plans to reduce greenhouse emissions by 50% by 2010. He said he planned to finish a report on achieving that target before he left.
