U.S. EPA administrator contemplating stepping down -sources

Reuters

Published Jan 26, 2023 10:20PM ET

Updated Jan 27, 2023 12:01PM ET

By Jarrett Renshaw and Jeff Mason

(Reuters) -U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan is considering stepping down, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

Regan has been thinking seriously about departing and has been exploring options outside the Biden administration but has not made any decisions, one source said.

"No plans imminently, but I do know it's been on the radar screen for the past few weeks," the source said.

The EPA said Regan had no plans to depart.

"The administrator doesn't have any plans to step down. He's committed to continuing to advance President Biden's historic climate and environmental agenda," said Maria Michalos, an EPA spokesperson and one of Regan's top aides.

The EPA is the main agency responsible for environmental regulation, and Regan has been leading it at a crucial time in President Joe Biden's agenda to curb climate change.

The agency is expected to roll out complex regulations on power plant emissions of greenhouse gases and toxic pollutants in March. The agency must race to finish them in about 18 months, before the next general election.

The EPA, which has about 17,500 employees, is still suffering from the exit of many scientists and policy workers during the administration of Donald Trump.

Billions of dollars are flowing to the agency after last year's passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, for programs including the $27 billion green bank, which will offer grants to disadvantaged communities to deploy solar and other programs to cut emissions and provide jobs.