Senate confirms North Carolina’s Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency
Throughout his Senate confirmation process, North Carolina’s top environmental official Michael Regan earned praise for his ability to bring sides together around often divisive policies.
He will need all those skills now.
Regan, 44, was confirmed Wednesday by the U.S. Senate to lead the agency, becoming the first Black man to be EPA Administrator. Regan was confirmed on a 66-34 vote, earning the backing of 16 Republicans, North Carolina Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis among them.
“Secretary Regan will bring the right expertise, leadership, and experience to the EPA,” Burr said in a statement after the vote. “During his time working for North Carolina, Secretary Regan demonstrated his commitment to sound environmental stewardship and to building constructive relationships with those who may have different points of view.”
Regan takes over the agency as a time when Democrats are eager for action on climate change and environmental justice, but Republicans warn against the economic consequences in many states of an ambitious climate agenda.
“We need a strong, principled leader to get the EPA back on track. Michael Regan is the right person for the job at this critical time,” said Sen. Tom Carper, a Delaware Democrat. “He’s a man of deep faith who believes as I believe we all do, that we have a moral obligation to be stewards of this planet.”
Many Republicans from oil- and coal-producing states, voted against Regan’s confirmation. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Regan and other environmental nominees “appear eager to restart the left’s war on domestic energy.”
“I’m very skeptical that the next four years will be any better than the eight years of economic devastation brought on by President Obama’s EPA,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican. “But you know what, I hope he proves me wrong. I hope he makes good on his promise to work with Republicans to help address climate issues.”
Burr, in introducing Regan in committee, said all sides will not always agree with Regan’s decisions but they will know and trust they received a fair hearing. That is one of his strengths, said Ray Trapp, a friend and former Guilford County commissioner.
“He can make anyone feel comfortable in a room. Regardless of what side of an issue you are on, he can make you feel comfortable. And that is something that D.C. is missing and something that’s a practical skill that will be needed,” said Trapp, like Regan a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University.
Regan has dedicated his professional career to environmental issues.
“Michael Regan has a strong record of service to the state of North Carolina, earning a reputation for being a thoughtful, engaging, and well-qualified leader,” Tillis said in a statement.
Record in NC
A native of Goldsboro, Regan often went fishing and hunting with his father and grandfather in Eastern North Carolina. He graduated from A&T with a degree in earth and environmental science, then earned a masters from George Washington University.
Regan previously worked at the EPA from 1998 to 2008 under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. He then worked at the Environmental Defense Fund, leading climate efforts in the Southeast, before joining Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration in 2017.
During his tenure in his home state, DEQ reached a settlement agreement with Duke Energy to clean up 80 millions tons of coal ash. He also established the state’s first Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board.
“He will take all the good work that he’s been doing in North Carolina to Washington,” Cooper said Wednesday.
Cooper has picked Dionne Delli-Gatti to replace Regan.
Many in the environmental community see similar challenges at EPA to the ones Regan confronted in North Carolina, where he was part of a Democratic administration replacing a Republican one. Carper said the EPA is suffering from “organizational drift and low morale.”
“Michael Regan knows first-hand how pollution harms our health and quality of life. We’re excited to watch him do for the EPA what he did for North Carolina: put people and policy over politics, and work with scientists, stakeholders, lawmakers of both parties, and above all, the most impacted communities, to protect all Americans from polluters and climate change,” said Dan Crawford, the director of governmental relations for the NC League of Conservation Voters.
Several of the senators questioned Regan in committee about Biden’s overall energy team. They questioned Biden executive orders about fracking on federal land, his decision to block a permit for the Keystone Pipeline and how the administration’s climate change agenda would impact energy-dependent economies.
“If we can design regulations that are complementary to the types of investments and research and development that we need to harness the power of the private sector and create new jobs, I believe that this country will be a global leader and other countries will follow,” Regan assured them.
Regan’s ascension to a key Cabinet position does not surprise some of those who know him.
“Anybody that knows Michael, and if you’ve had time to spend, to be with him, knows that the sky is the limit. I mean, the guy literally could be President of the United States,” Trapp said. “That is not just talking, that is something I genuinely think. Absolutely the sky’s the limit. It’s cliche to say it, but he absolutely, within meeting him, you know the potential that he has, and anything that he wants to do, he can absolutely do it.”
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This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 6:06 PM.
