WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Michael S. Regan, the previous prime environmental regulator for North Carolina, to guide the Enviro
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Michael S. Regan, the previous prime environmental regulator for North Carolina, to guide the Environmental Safety Company and drive among the Biden administration’s largest local weather and regulatory insurance policies.
As administrator, Mr. Regan, who started his profession on the E.P.A. and labored in environmental and renewable vitality advocacy earlier than turning into secretary of North Carolina’s Division of Environmental High quality, shall be tasked to rebuild an company that misplaced hundreds of workers below the Trump administration. Political appointees below Donald J. Trump spent the previous 4 years unwinding dozens of fresh air and water protections, whereas rolling again all the Obama administration’s main local weather guidelines.
Central to Mr. Regan’s mission shall be placing ahead aggressive new laws to satisfy President Biden’s pledge of eliminating fossil gas emissions from the electrical energy sector by 2035, considerably decreasing emissions from vehicles and making ready the US to emit no web carbon air pollution by the center of the century. A number of proposed laws are already being ready, administration officers have mentioned.
His nomination was accepted by a vote of 66-34, with all Democrats and 16 Republicans voting in favor
“There are few management roles within the federal authorities which have higher accountability for setting environmental targets and local weather insurance policies than the Environmental Safety Company,” mentioned Senator Tom Carper, Democrat of Delaware and chairman of the Senate Committee on Surroundings and Public Works. Mr. Regan, he mentioned, “is the individual for the job at this essential second.”
Mr. Regan would be the first Black man to function E.P.A. administrator. At 44, he can even be certainly one of Mr. Biden’s youngest cupboard secretaries and should navigate a crowded area of older, extra seasoned Washington veterans already put in in key environmental positions — notably Gina McCarthy, who previously held Mr. Regan’s job and is the pinnacle of a brand new White Home local weather coverage workplace.
These doubtlessly overlapping authorities have already provoked criticism from Republicans, a few of whom voted towards Mr. Regan’s affirmation as a result of they mentioned they didn’t know who is really answerable for the administration’s local weather and atmosphere coverage.
“I can’t assist Secretary Regan when Gina McCarthy is the orchestra chief for the Biden administration,” mentioned Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia.
However many of the opposition centered on Democratic coverage. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican chief, referred to as Mr. Biden’s agenda a “left-wing battle on American vitality.”
“Mr. Regan has loads of expertise,” Senator McConnell mentioned. “The issue is what he’s poised to do with it.”
In his testimony earlier than the Senate final month Mr. Regan assured lawmakers that in the case of E.P.A. insurance policies, “I shall be main and making these choices, and I shall be accepting accountability for these choices.”
Mr. Regan has a fame as a consensus-builder who works effectively with lawmakers from each events. North Carolina’s two Republican senators, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr voted to assist his nomination. Even Senate Republicans who voted towards him had sort phrases.
Let Us Assist You Perceive Local weather Change
“I actually favored assembly and attending to know Michael Regan,” Senator Capito mentioned. “He’s a devoted public servant and an trustworthy man.”
However Mr. Regan mentioned he did intend to behave aggressively in finishing up Mr. Biden’s agenda of combating local weather change.
Exactly what that can appear to be inside the E.P.A., and notably within the electrical energy sector, stays unclear, however administration officers have already hinted that they intend to create a brand new regulation to rein within the second largest supply of United States emissions.
The Obama administration tried to curb carbon air pollution from the electrical energy sector with a regulation referred to as the Clear Energy Plan, which might have pushed utilities to maneuver away from coal and towards cleaner-burning fuels or renewable vitality. The Trump administration repealed that and changed it with a far weaker rule that solely required utilities to make effectivity upgrades at particular person energy crops.
The Clear Energy Plan rule met resistance on the Supreme Courtroom, however the Trump model was struck down altogether. That mixture, Mr. Regan instructed lawmakers, offers E.P.A. a “clear slate” to maneuver ahead. A number of administration officers mentioned they anticipated the company to roll out a “Clear Energy Plan 2.0” within the coming weeks.
Ms. McCarthy has already been in talks with automakers round new automobile emissions requirements, however the proposed new rule itself can even come from E.P.A.
One other anticipated focus of Mr. Regan shall be environmental coverage affect on poor and minority communities. He has referred to as environmental justice a difficulty “that’s close to and expensive to my coronary heart” and instructed lawmakers he meant to deliver on a particular adviser and request further funding to raised tackle what specialists have recognized as systemic racism and inequity in environmental decision-making.