Biden Announces Regan as EPA Pick

President-elect Joe Biden has announced that he will nominate Michael Regan, North Carolina’s top environmental regulator, to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The pick follows an intense campaign from the party’s progressive wing that pushed Biden’s team to emphasize environmental justice for minority and underserved communities facing threats from pollution.

It was reported that the transition team was considering numerous people for the role, including top contender, California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols. If confirmed, Regan would be the second Black EPA Chief. Regan would be in charge of achieving some of Biden’s most ambitious policy agenda items, including net-zero emissions by 2050 and eliminating fossil fuel emissions by 2035. It is unclear how the role of the administrator will be impacted by the two climate czars, John Kerry and Gina McCarthy, Biden has named.

Regan worked at EPA during the Clinton and Bush administrations, including National Program Manager of EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards. After leaving EPA, he was associate vice president for clean energy and Southeast regional director at the Environmental Defense Fund. At North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Regan was vital in implementing the Governor’s executive order on climate change that called for the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 2005 levels. Regan also successfully led the negotiations with Duke Energy, which resulted in the most extensive coal ash cleanup in U.S. history.

North Carolina does not require its residents to recycle and saw its recycling program suffer when the U.S. saw a materials glut in its markets and China put restrictions on importing American recyclables. Several cities and counties were forced to stop curbside pickup of certain types of plastics and glass. Regan and DEQ still supported residents’ strong desire to continue recycling and providing feedstock to the many recycling businesses and manufacturers in the state. Regan strived to provide technical assistance and guidance to local recycling programs beleaguered with the market changes. The agency directed its efforts into educating the public to reduce contaminants in the recycling stream, thereby recovering and improving recyclable material quality and lessening the burden on recycling centers.

Regan has been commended for being approachable, easy to work with, and willing to reach across the aisle. He has earned the reputation of being collaborative consensus builder who understands the balance between environmental protections and economic growth. These skills will be needed as he confronts a polarized Congress that is skeptical about climate science and often pushes push back on environmental regulations that constrain businesses. Environmentalists have also criticized his steady and incremental approach when working with opposing sides.

Regan’s experience will make him well equipped in handling the bureaucracy and agency challenges at EPA. Under the Biden administration, he will be in charge of undoing the agency’s deregulation efforts under the Trump administration. He will also be looking to reverse course on relaxed fuel efficiency standards, the enforcement of water and air pollution rules, and reemphasize the use of renewable and clean energy.

Biden picks