RFK Jr.: Too controversial for EPA? - Erika Lovley - Politico.com

One sticking issue for some environmentalists is Kennedy’s reputation as a NIMBY, a "not in my back yard” supporter of renewable energy.

Kennedy drew the ire of the international environmental group Greenpeace and others after he opposed construction of a wind energy farm off the coast of Cape Cod that would have marred the view from his family’s shoreline home.

“While his rhetoric sometimes runs a little hot, it’s hard to challenge his motives,” said Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council. “That said, EPA is an agency with about 20,000 employees and a very complicated mission. It does not lend itself to governance by sound bite. So any administrator will have to resist that temptation.”

Kennedy is a senior attorney with National Resources Defense Council. And its spokeswoman, Julia Bovey, said Friday she’d “really have to laugh at the idea that Bobby's positions are radical."

"Sure, he's a strong protector of the environment,” she said, "but his positions and the organizations he's aligned himself with are very mainstream America."