Senate Confirms Regan as EPA Administrator
Yesterday evening the Senate voted 66-34 to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee for EPA administrator, Michael Regan. Regan was expected to be confirmed with bipartisan support following the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee’s 14-6 vote last month with support from four Republican Senators. Regan is the first Black man to hold this position. His previous role as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality helped garner significant Republican support for his nomination despite GOP skepticism about Biden’s plans for addressing climate change and moving away from reliance on fossil fuels. Regan’s top priorities are expected to reflect Biden’s priorities: addressing climate change and advocating for environmental justice. He also brings experience pursuing cleanups of industrial contaminants, including PFAS, from his work in North Carolina.