Politics

Biden plans to nominate Michael Regan as EPA chief

By Ed O'Keefe

/ CBS News

Christine Todd Whitman on risks of ignoring science, and priorities for Biden's EPA

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Michael Regan, head of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, two people familiar with the choice tell CBS News.

The 44-year-old Regan would be the first Black man to lead the EPA, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He emerged as a top contender in recent days, impressing the Biden-Harris transition team with his work in North Carolina, according to one of the people familiar with the decision.

 In this Jan. 3, 2017 file photo, Michael Regan listens as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announces that Regan will lead the Department of Environmental Quality in North Carolina, at the Executive Manson in Raleigh, N.C.  Chuck Liddy / AP

He has served as North Carolina's top environmental protection official since 2017 and is most widely known for negotiating a multibillion-dollar settlement with Duke Energy over a coal ash cleanup in the state. 

A formal announcement of the nomination is expected by Saturday.

Ed O'Keefe

Ed O'Keefe is CBS News senior White House and political correspondent. He previously worked for The Washington Post covering presidential campaigns, Congress and federal agencies. His primary focus is on President Biden, Vice President Harris and political issues across the country.

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