IARN — The U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Regan as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday.
By a 66-34 vote, the full Senate approved President Biden’s pick to lead the EPA. The 44-year-old Regan most recently led the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. During his confirmation hearing in early February, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst questioned Regan on his commitment to defending the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
“RFS is definitely a priority for this administration,” Regan said to Sen. Ernst. “The reality is that I want to sit down with my staff and sit down with legal counsel. There are a number of things that are caught up in litigation. There are a number of things that we need more transparency around how we arrived to those decisions. We need to be sure that the agency actually applied the latest data, the latest science, and followed the letter of the law in some of the decisions that have been made. We plan to do a thorough review of all of the decisions that fit under the umbrella of the RFS, but we don’t plan to do that without consultation with you and with other stakeholders that will be impacted by these decisions.”
“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.”
Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association both expressed support for Regan’s confirmation. Find their respective statements below.
Growth Energy: “We congratulate Administrator Regan on his confirmation to a vital role in this administration as climate change continues to be at the forefront of the Biden agenda and as EPA reviews small refinery exemptions and other issues vital to the biofuels industry. Biofuels are a critical tool in achieving President Biden’s aggressive climate goals and the biofuels industry is ready to partner with Administrator Regan to decarbonize the transportation sector and bring the agricultural sector into the fold of addressing climate change. Administrator Regan has been on the record supporting biofuels as critical to help meet an ambitious climate agenda, committing to following the letter of the law on the Renewable Fuels Standard, and pledging transparency on any small refinery exemption decisions. We look forward to working with Administrator Regan on all of these policy and regulatory initiatives, and offering our organization’s perspective and high-level of expertise as he makes these decisions.”
Renewable Fuels Association: “We congratulate Michael Regan on his confirmation and look forward to working with him to implement President Biden’s vision for a strong Renewable Fuel Standard. We were pleased to hear Administrator Regan say that agriculture and biofuels will have ‘a seat at the table’ as our nation tackles climate change, and we believe ethanol will be a critical component of the drive toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In his previous position, Mr. Regan built a strong track record of listening to all stakeholders to find practical, science-based solutions to the environmental issues impacting the people of North Carolina. We welcome a similar approach to problem-solving as he takes the helm at EPA, and we appreciate the outreach he has already conducted to renewable fuel stakeholders. We are confident he will strongly uphold President Biden’s commitment to ‘honor the critical role the renewable fuel industry plays in supporting the rural economy and the leadership role American agriculture will play in our fight against climate change.’”
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network
