IARN — President Biden’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works late Wednesday afternoon.
EPA nominee Michael Regan, age 44, most recently led the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. He spoke to the Senate panel about his last four years of work providing North Carolina residents cleaner air and water while nurturing the state’s economy.
“I fell in love with the outdoors, growing up in eastern North Carolina, hunting and fishing with my father and grandfather,” Regan said. “Those beautiful waters and those lands are legacies they were proud to share with me, but they also taught me that protecting them was my responsibility as well. Like millions of Americans living rural communities, preserving our natural resources isn’t something just to balance with the economy. It’s essential for economic growth, along with protecting public health and our way of life.”
During Regan’s hours long confirmation hearing, he vowed a sense of urgency on climate change, which is a major priority of the Biden administration.
“Our priorities for the environment are clear,” Regan said. “We will restore the role of science and transparency at EPA. We will support the dedicated and talented career officials. We will move with a sense of urgency on climate change, and we will stand up for environmental justice and equity.”
“We will do this in a collaborative manner,” he continued, “in partnership with state and local governments who know their own communities better than the federal government ever could. We will work transparently and responsibly with industries eager to establish clear consistent rules of engagement.”
If confirmed, Regan would become the first African American man to lead the EPA. A committee vote to advance his nomination was not held on Wednesday.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network
