By John Shiffman and Jonathan Tamari

WASHINGTON - Three women who held senior state environmental posts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California are candidates for administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to Democrats who say they have been briefed on the Obama transition.

One is Kathleen McGinty, who was secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection from 2003 to 2008; chaired the White House Council on Environmental Quality during the Clinton administration; and is close to former Vice President Al Gore. She did not return messages yesterday.

Another is Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection since 2006, who worked at the EPA for 16 years. She is working in Washington this month as cochair of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team for energy and natural resources.

Jackson is slated to become Gov. Corzine's chief of staff Dec. 1. A senior New Jersey state official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said she was unlikely to leave Trenton for Washington. Her spokeswoman, Elaine Makatura, said she was unavailable for comment.

The third strong candidate for the top EPA post is Mary Nichols, a California air-pollution official, who was an EPA assistant administrator during the Clinton administration. Nichols has stated an interest in the job.

"She was first to implement the nation's first global-warming law, and so she has a great deal of built-in credibility," said a Senate Democratic staffer who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Obama has promised big changes at EPA, especially on air pollution and climate change.

In a videotaped message to the nation's governors this week, Obama said, "My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change."

Two others whose names have been linked to the EPA job - environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sibelius - are now seen as unlikely candidates, Democratic sources said.

Obama transition spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to comment.

Gov. Rendell met with the Obama transition team last week and made pitches for current and former officials in his administration, including McGinty.

"The governor believes that a number of people who work for him or have worked for him deserve consideration by the Obama team," said his spokesman, Chuck Ardo. "Katie McGinty is certainly one of them."

Nathan Willcox of PennEnvironment, an advocacy group, said McGinty would be a great pick for EPA chief despite differences on a few issues, such as how to handle coal pollution.

"She did pretty amazing things for Pennsylvania," Willcox said, including the formulation of new regulations on mercury.

In Trenton, two state lawmakers praised Jackson's ability to seek a compromise.

"I've seen her walk into rooms with representatives of radically divergent views and come out with a consensus," said State Sen. Bob Smith, chairman of the Senate Environmental Committee.

Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon (R., Monmouth), a pro-business member of the budget committee, said Jackson "understands the dynamics between balancing caring about our environment and growing business and making New Jersey business-friendly."

But environmentalists say her department has been too slow to follow through on some of its grand visions.

DEP did not put regulations in place in time to participate in a recent regional auction for energy credits, which could have generated money to help fund technologies to reduce global warming.

"The New Jersey DEP has gone from being one of the top agencies in the country to being the environmental version of the Keystone Cops," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.