President-elect Joe Biden has announced the nomination of Michael Regan to serve as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Regan has been serving as Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality since 2017. Several agricultural organizations have issued various messages of support for the nomination announcement.
“AFBF congratulates Michael Regan on his nomination to lead the EPA. As secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, he reached out to farmers and ranchers to better understand the challenges facing agriculture. He has a reputation for making decisions guided by science that also take into account input from the people who would be impacted the most,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said in a press release. “If confirmed, we hope he brings that same openness and science-based approach to the EPA.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the American Coalition for Ethanol, and the National Corn Growers Association are ready to work with Regan on environmental issues. The groups are hopeful that the change in leadership can allow for better engagement with the agricultural industry. Other groups to issue notices of support for the nomination include the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).
“NPPC congratulates Michael Regan on his nomination. As DEQ secretary in North Carolina, a leading pork-producing state, he always had an open door, valued diverse points of view, and worked to find solutions that ensured science and data were guiding decisions,” said NPPC President Howard “AV” Roth. “We hope those same qualities will be carried over to his leadership at EPA. We look forward to working with him on issues of importance to U.S. pork producers, as we continue to produce the highest-quality, most affordable and nutritious protein in the world.”
Regan will need to secure at least 50 votes to be confirmed by the Senate when it convenes again in 2021.