President-elect Joseph R. Biden is expected to name Michael Regan, the head of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, according to multiple reports Thursday.
Mr. Regan also worked on the EPA’s air quality energy programs in both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations.
Mary Nichols, the head of the California Air Resources Board, had also been mentioned as a top contender for the EPA Administrator post.
But activist groups had raised red flags, saying that policies championed by Ms. Nichols to try to cut carbon emissions ended up having disproportionately negative effects on communities of color.
Mr. Regan would be a leading member of a team tasked with implementing at least parts of Mr. Biden’s $2 trillion plan to combat climate change, to the extent that he gets cooperation from Congress.
As soon as this week, Mr. Biden is expected to officially announce former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as his pick to lead the energy department and Gina McCarthy, the former EPA chief during the Obama administration, to a White House position coordinating domestic efforts to combat climate change.
He’s also expected to name Brenda Mallory, director of regulatory policy at the Southern Environmental Law Center, as his pick to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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