EPA Head Nominee Michael Regan Deserves Swift Confirmation in Senate

A hearing will be held Wednesday for Michael Regan, who is President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Regan is currently head of North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality, where he has been a chief architect and advocate for Gov. Roy Cooper's Executive Order 80: North Carolina's Commitment to Address Climate Change. The order set the first-ever state goals for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, increased registered zero-emission vehicles, and created the Climate Change Interagency Council.

In addition, Regan has protected communities from the threat of dangerous coal waste by spearheading the cleanup of nearly 80 million tons of the toxic substance, which is the largest cleanup of this dangerous waste in the nation's history. Beyond that, he's held polluters accountable by working with North Carolina's attorney general to force Chemours, a subsidiary of Dupont Chemical, to limit and clean up toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and provide replacement drinking water for a wide swath of the state.

Regan has worked closely with Environment America's state organization Environment North Carolina.

Environment America's Acting President Wendy Wendlandt issued the following statement:

"We fully support Michael Regan to head up the Environmental Protection Agency and call on the Senate to complete a swift confirmation.

"Regan is the right person for the job for so many reasons. He brings a strong focus on science to the position and has consistently produced results when it comes to protecting air and water quality, as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions. He's also shown an uncanny ability to reach across the aisle, having served at the EPA under both President George W. Bush and President Clinton, and worked well with the GOP-controlled legislature in North Carolina.

"After four years of EPA leaders who betrayed the fundamental goal of the agency -- protecting the environment -- we cannot waste any time putting the agency back on track. We are confident that Regan will deliver on the agency's core roles of getting our climate healthy, keeping our waterways and air clean and protecting our natural spaces."

Environment North Carolina's State Director Drew Ball issued the following statement:

"Secretary Regan's experience and impressive track record of protecting North Carolina's environment and public health will be an asset to the Biden administration. As he has done at North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality, he will get the EPA's focus back on its central mission of safeguarding our environment and health.

"Our state has been served well by his work. He's held polluters accountable and ensured that broad and diverse groups of stakeholders, including historically disenfranchised groups, have been brought to the table.

"We will miss working with him in North Carolina but look forward to once again having an EPA that uses science to build a cleaner, safer and healthier future."