With historic picks, Biden puts environmental justice front and center Juliet Eilperin, Dino Grandoni, Brady Dennis President-elect Joe Biden chose Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) Thursday to serve as the first Native American Cabinet secretary and head the Interior Department, a historic pick that marks a turning point for the U.S. government’s relationship with the nation’s Indigenous peoples. With that selection and others this week, Biden sent a clear message that top officials charged with confronting the nation’s environmental problems will have a shared experience with the Americans who have disproportionately been affected by toxic air and polluted land.
ALBANY (TNS)Â â New Yorkers of all stripes were lining up behind state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos amid news that he s on a short list of those who President-elect Joe Biden is considering to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Seggos is a unifier with experience to offer EPA from his time in New York and the Army, tweeted actor and anti-fracking activist Mark Ruffalo, who had periodically come to the state Capitol to argue against allowing hydrofracking in the state.
Seggos joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo s administration in 2012 and was a top environmental adviser to Cuomo when the governor preemptively banned hydrofracking in New York. Cuomo later appointed him DEC commissioner.
Biden plans to tap top North Carolina environmental regulator to lead EPA unionleader.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from unionleader.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.