Biden introduces his climate team, says ‘no time to waste’
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Dec 20, 2020
"We literally have no time to waste", Biden told reporters as he introduced his choices.
After the excerpt of Biden's interview was released, transition aides said his "foul play" remark referred to those who have tried to use Hunter Biden as a political cudgel, not to the federal investigation itself. "We need a whole-of-government approach to take on the climate crisis - in a way that spurs jobs and advances justice".
The event demonstrated Biden's intention to make a significant move away from the Trump administration's strategy of rolling back environmental regulations to boost energy production and the economy. The incoming Biden team will try to undo or block numerous current administration's initiatives.
Regan - who has led North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality since 2017 - is known for "pursuing cleanups of industrial toxins and helping low-income and minority communities hit hardest by pollution", News & Record reported.
The selections also help Biden fulfill his promise to assemble a Cabinet that reflects the diversity of America.
Mr. Regan, a veteran of the EPA during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, is now the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
Granholm, a former MI governor, emphasized the Biden team's belief that the right policies can win green jobs for American workers that would otherwise go to China or elsewhere.
Regan and Haaland are among the key officials, also including the secretaries of energy and transportation and the head of a new office leading domestic climate policy coordination at the White House, in Biden's bid to make USA policy greener after four years of Republican Donald Trump's presidency.
Biden's nominee to oversee the Council on Environmental Quality is Brenda Mallory. He was also an Associate Vice President of the Environmental Defense Fund focused on climate issues. If confirmed, she would be the first African American to hold the position since it was created more than half a century ago. They are Gina McCarthy, to serve as national climate adviser, and Ali Zaidi, to serve as her deputy. McCarthy was EPA administrator from 2013-17 during President Obama's second term.
