December 17, 2020 2:07 p.m.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality chief Michael Regan as the next Environmental Protection Agency, according to multiple reports.
While the decision has not been formally announced, if confirmed, Regan would be the first Black man to run the increasingly vital agency which will be tasked with combating growing threats posed by climate change.
Among those also considered for the role included California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols and Richard Revesz of New York University Law School, according to the Washington Post.
Biden has vowed to prioritize environmental issues, naming for the first time a global climate envoy with a seat on the National Security Council, when he tapped former Obama-era Secretary of State John Kerry for the job last month.
Biden picks Haaland to head Interior Department
taosnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from taosnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Biden plans to tap top North Carolina environmental regulator to lead EPA: sources
reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Haaland, who has been backed by a number of progressive groups as well as tribes, would take over a sprawling, 70,000-person agency with a mandate from Biden to help deliver on his climate promises.
If confirmed by the Senate, Haaland would likely deliver a significant turnaround for an agency that has rolled back environmental and endangered species protections and expanded oil and gas drilling. Biden has pledged to bar any new oil and gas leasing on public lands an effort likely to require action from Interior.
Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, was one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, alongside Rep. Sharice Davids
Biden to nominate Michael Regan to head EPA
upi.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from upi.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.