Get your weeklydose of analysis on rising corporate activism. Why is India dropping evolution and the periodic table from school science? ", North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Biden Administration: Here's Who Has Been Named So Far, Biden Plans To Nominate Former Michigan Gov. KELLY: Do you have the teeth at EPA to enforce these rules? [4] 2023 3BL Media & TriplePundit. And I am committing to ensuring that every single decision we make meets rigorous scientific standards.. All rights reserved. At the EPA, he is helping to lead President Joe Bidens efforts to address climate change and advocate for environmental justice. PARTIES OF RECORD . Mike Sommers, chief executive of the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said in a statement that the oil industry was ready to work with Mr. Regan. And we cant do that if we have a paywall. So as much as Regan might want to hit the ground running and tackle climate change, craft better air and water regulations, and address historical inequities, theres a lot of ground to make up first. That means the EPA leader will have to provide proof of ambitious climate action as the Biden administration works to convince other countries the U.S. is serious about avoiding runaway global warming. A 2018 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says global emissions must fall by about 50% in the next decade to achieve that goal, which is inconceivable unless the U.S. drastically reduces its dependence on fossil fuels. An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, delivered to your inbox every weekday. Michael S. Regan would become the first Black man to run the Environmental Protection Agency. MICHAEL REGAN TRAYNOR SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATION - DocPlayer Critics said the change allowed a pandemic of pollution in the past year. Such contaminants have been called forever chemicals because they do not break down in the environment and can build up in human bodies. Senate confirms Michael Regan to lead EPA - POLITICO He stands to inherit an agency that has been ground zero as the Trump administration rolled back climate and pollution regulations. Meet Michael Regan - NRDC An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to Gina McCarthys leadership experience as a regulator. Its important that we have several ways we make money, just like its important for you to have a diversified retirement portfolio to weather the ups and downs of the stock market. width: 100% !important; For weeks before, it appeared that Mary D. Nichols, Californias air quality regulator, had a lock on the E.P.A. Hes pragmatic and inclusive in every sense of the word. Michael Regan says the E.P.A. Michael Regan, North Carolina environmental official, to run EPA - The Or when are we talking? @media only screen and (max-width: 400px){ It killed at least 40 people in North Carolina. Regan will now be in charge of the agency's approach to regulating such water contaminants. Even the words climate change were deleted from EPA websites. position: relative; With a partisan, deadlocked Congress, those tasks will fall almost entirely to E.P.A. He wants to hasten the nation's shift to cleaner . I wonder how the oil and natural gas industry responds. I worked with Michael at Environmental Defense Fund for eight years and consider him a friend. "The agency took a position that agencies across the country, and the EPA, should be taking," says Geoff Gisler, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in North Carolina. His EPA delayed enforcement of many regulations and started to roll them back, like the 2015 Clean Water Rule, which defines the waterways that are regulated by the agency under the Clean Water Act. I think what has happened over the years and I blame the EPA in large part for this it hasnt done a good job of communicating to the American public what you pay for environmental protection and what you get for it, Zarba said. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans today for new rules, including limits on the methane coming from oil and gas rigs. position: relative; Mr. Regan, if confirmed, will take over an agency central to achieving the new administrations climate agenda. Any amount helps. Yet he wasnt shy in the hearing about his support for implementing Bidens environmental policies, which include the most ambitious climate change agenda in US history, aiming for entirely carbon-free electricity production by 2035. .center-table-mobile { REGAN: Well, you know, the president has had a sense of urgency from day one and asked the EPA to closely examine what we could do with this highly potent greenhouse gas. leaders from state environmental agencies. Michael S. Regan has said he intends to act aggressively in carrying out the president's agenda of fighting climate change. The panels provide scientific expertise and recommendations for air quality standards and other policies intended to protect public health and the environment. She serves as an Advisory Board member of CleanTX, which aims to accelerate the growth of the clean tech industry in Texas. Support our mission by making a gift today. As DEQ secretary, Regan oversees the state agency whose mission is to protect North Carolina's environment and natural resources. The EPA could drop its legal defenses of Trump-era rollbacks, and with regulations like the Affordable Clean Energy rule thrown out, Regan will have a blank slate to craft a new policy for carbon emissions from power plants. '', John Graham, a former George W. Bush administration official who had led the Science Advisory Board since last year, defended that panels work, saying in an email it exposed the scientific shortcomings of the Trump EPAs plans to weaken greenhouse gas standards for autos and remove numerous water bodies from federal pollution protection.. But he added, We will also be watching closely to ensure that the incoming administration keeps President-elect Bidens campaign promises to the energy work force and protects the millions of jobs supported by our industry.. We set the agenda here, based on the presidents vision, and we are charged with protecting the public health and the environment,'' he said. width: 100%; And US greenhouse gas emissions began to rise (at least until the pandemic), reversing years of decline, and policies to limit this growth have only gotten weaker. But methane is responsible for a third of the warming from greenhouse gases today - one-third. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. The announcement last week of Michael Regan as President-elect Joe Bidens pick for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator was historic: he will be the first Black American man to lead the EPA. This month, a group of more than 70 environmental justice groups wrote to the Biden transition charging that Ms. Nichols had a bleak track record in addressing environmental racism.. Beyond those qualifications, however, my time working with him showed me what a clear goal of inclusion and equity can do for helping to achieve climate goals, especially done with determination, intellect and empathy. This page includes the following information about the confirmation process: Regan was confirmed on March 10, 2021, by a vote of 66-34. Ms. Jackson was the first Black person to lead the E.P.A. padding-top: 60px; overflow: hidden; He recognized that every person in this country has a stake in solving the climate crisis, even if they dont yet know it. padding-bottom: 76.25%; But like the good parent that he is, he also knows when to pick his battles. Pick, Faces 'Massive Reconstruction and Rebuilding'. But Pruitt famously racked up a long list of scandals and indiscretions as well: The EPA spent an unprecedented $4.6 million on Pruitts security detail, including $1,500 on tactical pants; Pruitt built a $43,000 phone booth; he asked an aide to scout a used Trump hotel mattress; he sent his security team to find lotion used in Ritz-Carlton Hotels; he ate too often at the White House; he got a sweetheart deal on a condo from a lobbyist; he deleted calendar records and fired a staffer for objecting; he used his job to try to get his wife a $200,000-a-year job; he traveled in first class to avoid uncivil travelers; he had his motorcade use lights and sirens to reach dinner reservations. Regan said he believes the U.S. can reduce emissions dramatically by 2030. All rights reserved. E.P.A . Meanwhile, Regan will need to address a host of management issues at the agency. Other top Obama officials also have returned to the agency to work under Regan, including Dan Utech as chief of staff and Joe Goffman in the office in charge of air pollution regulations. chief, will lead a new White House Office of Climate Policy to coordinate domestic efforts, and John Kerry, the former secretary of state, will be Mr. Bidens international climate envoy. Regan is one of several nominees that the Biden administration announced in December as part of a team to tackle the climate crisis. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with head of the Environmental Protection Agency Michael Regan about the administration's newly announced plans at the COP26 climate conference to curb methane emissions. If confirmed by the Senate, Regan would be the first African American man to run the EPA. Just to name a few. Michael Regan, the new EPA administrator, has a long to-do list - The AO supports the leadership of EPA's programs and activities to protect human health and the environment. One upside is that this is not Regans first turn at the EPA. North Carolina is as tough a place as any to uphold environmental laws in the face of opposition from utilities, the farm lobby, and hostile legislators.. In 2009, the public sector work launched, and within five years, half of the countrys, Michael is tough negotiatoras evidenced by his brokering a. from George Washington University. And we're looking forward to having something final next year. After four years of Trump, the EPA is poised to make a dramatic turn on pollution, climate change, and justice. Shortly after taking office, Trump signed an executive order that required federal agencies to undo two regulations for every new regulation. Ballotpedia features 409,904 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. In a letter last year, six former EPA administrators, Republicans and Democrats, noted that the EPAs budget under Ronald Reagan was 50 percent higher in inflation-adjusted dollars than it is today. Trumps first EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, was openly contemptuous of the agency, describing it as a bastion of liberalism. During his prior job as Oklahomas attorney general, Pruitt sued the EPA 14 times to block its regulations. What We Do The Office of the Administrator (AO) provides executive and logistical support for the EPA Administrator. Its necessary because climate change is multi-faceted problem that has implications across the economy. He also purged outside science advisers to the EPA who received grants from the agency, arguing that they had a conflict of interest. The Senate confirmed Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, putting the North Carolina regulator in charge of restoring the . Political polarization is another obstacle Regan will face. Gina McCarthy and Lisa Jackson, who both ran the agency under President Obama, had been the heads of state environmental agencies; Ms. McCarthy in Connecticut and Ms. Jackson in New Jersey. In 2017, after defeating Pat McCrory, the Republican incumbent, Gov. The Supreme Court just struck down Bidens student loan forgiveness plan. [1] This presidential appointment required Senate confirmation. Jennifer Granholm As Energy Secretary, Biden To Name Gina McCarthy, Former EPA Chief, As Domestic Climate Coordinator, Climate Change Drives Bigger, Wetter Storms Storms Like Florence, As Climate Envoy, Kerry To Seek 'Ambition' With 'Humility', John Kerry Tapped For Newly Created Role As Presidential Climate Envoy, It's 2050 And This Is How We Stopped Climate Change. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. @media (max-width: 1400px) { position: absolute; But, several people close to the Biden transition said, the president-elect was caught off guard by intense criticism of Ms. Nichols from liberals who argued that the cap-and-trade policies she helped design for California had allowed industry to continue to pollute in a way that disproportionately harms poor communities and communities of color. The following chart compares how many days it took after the inaugurations in 2017 and 2021 for the Cabinet secretaries of Presidents Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D), respectively, to be confirmed. Biden has promised to rejoin the Paris climate accord, from which the U.S. formally withdrew this fall, on the first day of his presidency. We will move with a sense of urgency on climate change, and we will stand up for environmental justice and equity, Regan said. Relying on traditional solutions by traditional actors isnt enough. The aim was to stack the deck to get the answers they wanted, said Chris Zarba, a former career EPA employee who led the agencys Science Advisory Board Staff Office and retired in 2018. He also helped finalize weaker fuel economy and emissions rules for cars and light trucks. The nomination will then go to the Senate floor for consideration. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. When humans ingest PFAS, they can linger in tissue for the rest of a person's life, earning them the nickname "forever chemicals.". Thank you for visiting nature.com. A lot needs to be done, Zarba said. To obtain ExxonMobil, Chevron - they are members. He wanted to limit research used by the EPA only to results that were reproducible and disclosed details about their underlying data in the name of eliminating secret science. But these rules would eliminate important research based on one-off events like toxic chemical spills, and many researchers dont publish underlying data to protect the privacy of their study subjects. Regan has the authority to do it and can start pretty soon.. WASHINGTON President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has selected Michael S. Regan, North Carolinas top environmental regulator, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Bidens transition team announced Thursday. Re: Case No. After being confirmed as EPA administrator, Pruitt immediately got to work. Such changes undermine the justification for regulations like those that reduce toxic emissions from power plants. position: absolute; And, scientists warn, even if the U.S. were on track, the original emissions target was too weak to avoid catastrophic warming. The power plant rule thats expected to curb carbon dioxide emissions will be a key driver in Bidens plans to eliminate greenhouse gases from the nations electricity grid by 2035, and set the country on course to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. ), Richard Shelby (Ala.), John Boozman (Ark. And I think to do that, we have to identify and root out any decisions from the past that were not properly aligned with science,'' he said. Regan was confirmed on a 66-34 vote, earning the backing of 16 . You know, there is a sense of urgency here. Confirmation process for Michael Regan for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Historical comparison of Cabinet confirmations, Michael Regan's Senate confirmation hearing, February 3, 2021, Explore Ballotpedia's new State of Election Administration Legislation Report, Confirmation process for Cabinet nominees, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Confirmation process for Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy, Michelle Robinson, Senior Product Manager, Education & School Boards, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Confirmation_process_for_Michael_Regan_for_administrator_of_the_Environmental_Protection_Agency&oldid=8357964, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policy, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Presidential Science Advisor and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
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michael regan qualifications