Biden’s EPA pick Michael Regan confirmed by Senate

Updated: Mar 10, 2021 / 05:24 PM CST

WILMINGTON, DE – DECEMBER 19: Nominee for EPA Administrator, Michael Regan, speaks at the Queen theater on December 19, 2020 in Wilmington, DE. President-elect Joe Biden announced his climate and energy team that will advance an ambitious agenda to address the issues of climate change. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The U.S. Senate Wednesday evening voted to confirm Michael Regan to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Senate voted 66-34 to confirm Regan, who has served as North Carolina’s top environmental regulator since 2017. He is the first Black man to run the EPA. Lisa Jackson, EPA administrator in President Barack Obama’s first term, was the first African American to lead the agency.

Regan is known in his home state for pursuing cleanups of industrial toxins and helping low-income and minority communities significantly affected by pollution.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., the chairman of the environment panel, called Regan the right person to lead EPA, citing his “experience bringing people together to solve our most pressing environmental issues and make sure no community gets left behind in the process.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report; reporting by Matthew Daly