Michael S. Regan

Michael Stanley Regan (born August 6, 1976) is an American environmental regulator who served as the 16th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2024. He was the first African American man to serve in the role.

Early life and education A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Zeb Stuart Regan Jr., a Vietnam War veteran, retired colonel in the North Carolina Army National Guard, and former agricultural extension agent.

Early career Regan began his career as an environmental regulator for the Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton administration and Bush administration from 1998 to 2008. He remained at the EDF for over eight years.

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality In 2017, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper selected Regan to serve as the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. During his tenure, he launched the state's Environmental Justice and Equity Board with a charter to advise the Secretary on how best to advance environmental justice and promote community engagement, particularly across historically underserved and marginalized communities.

He also worked to develop the state's Clean Energy Plan, which aims to reduce private sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and ultimately move towards carbon neutrality by 2050.

In January 2020, Regan secured an agreement with Duke Energy for the largest coal ash contamination cleanup in United States history. The company committed to excavating eighty million tons of ash across seven of nine coal ash deposits. His department also ordered the chemical company Chemours to address and eliminate toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which they were dumping into the Cape Fear River upstream of a major source of drinking water. While generally favored by environmental organizations, Regan has clashed with the environmental movement. In 2018, he approved permits for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, though the project was ultimately cancelled.

On February 9, 2021, members of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee voted 14–6 to send Regan's nomination as EPA administrator for a full Senate vote. The full Senate confirmed his nomination 66–34 on March 10, 2021, and he was sworn in on March 11, 2021.

Tenure Regan is the first Black man to run the agency and is responsible for helping to advance the Biden administration's commitment to combating climate change, promoting green energy innovations, and addressing the effects of environmental racism.

On December 20, 2024, he announced his intention to resign from his position effective on December 31.

Political future In 2023, speculation surrounding a potential candidacy by Regan for Governor of North Carolina in the 2024 election arose. Valerie Foushee, U.S. Representative from North Carolina's 4th congressional district, stated that she had heard "murmurings, nothing concrete" about a potential bid.

Personal life Regan lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife, Melvina, and son, Matthew. Their first-born son, Michael Stanley Regan Jr. ("MJ") died on August 16, 2012, from stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma at the age of one.