Biden Team Considering North Carolina Official to Lead U.S. EPA

by Ari Natter and Jennifer A Dlouhy (Bloomberg) Former NYU Law School dean also said to be under consideration; Biden nearing final decisions on environment, climate picks -- ... Michael Regan is now among the top contenders to be Environmental Protection Agency administrator, according to three people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named. Regan spent nearly a decade working under two presidents at the EPA and is now the secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality.

The deliberations come as Biden nears final decisions on a slate of nominees to lead key environment and energy posts, a list that may include former EPA chief Gina McCarthy and environmental lawyer Brenda Mallory. The president-elect has been meeting with transition team officials in Delaware this weekend.

Also being eyed to lead the EPA is Richard Revesz, a former dean of the New York University School of Law who has been a fierce critic of the Trump administration’s environmental policy moves, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Regan and Mallory are African American. Revesz was born in Argentina and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 17.

Biden is also nearing a choice on who he wants to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality, with former CEQ general counsel Brenda Mallory a leading candidate, according to one person familiar with the matter. Mallory, who served in the agency under Obama, has more recently been the director of regulatory policy for the Southern Environmental Law Center, a group that uses litigation to promote clean air, safe water and wildlife conservation. Transition officials have also been considering two environmental justice advocates -- Cecilia Martinez and Mustafa Santiago Ali -- for the role. READ MORE

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: At the White House: Former Obama-era EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has emerged as the frontrunner for a new role leading the incoming administration's effort to address climate change, spearheading the multiagency effort as a domestic counterpart to John Kerry's international post, three people told Zack.

Brenda Mallory is also likely to be nominated to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where she had previously served as general counsel during the Obama administration.

At the Energy Department: Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is a leading contender for Energy secretary, two people said. Granholm has actively worked to build support among clean energy leaders for either the DOE or domestic White House slot, said another person aware of her efforts. Arun Majumdar, another DOE candidate who is leading the Biden transition team at the agency, had not been contacted about a position, according to another person familiar with the DOE search.

ON THE LIST: The Business Council for Sustainable Energy — a coalition of companies and trade associations in the energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy sectors — is out with a list of recommendations for how the Biden administration could take executive action to increase energy efficiency and clean energy deployment in its first 100 days. The recommendations include setting federal government-wide clean energy procurement goals for electricity, thermal loads and transportation fleets; establishing ARPA-C with a program focus on hydrogen, digitalization, CCSU, renewables integration and energy systems management; and directing EPA to implement the Renewable Fuel Standard for electric vehicles. READ MORE