EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan Addresses EPA Staff to Mark Historic Environmental Progress Under President Biden
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
WASHINGTON – Today, June 27, at an event convening all EPA staff across headquarters and its 10 regional offices, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan delivered keynote remarks to mark historic progress achieved under President Biden’s leadership to address climate change, advance environmental justice, and highlight unprecedented investments in science and career staff expertise. Under the banner of “Bold Promises, Real Results,” Administrator Regan touted progress to advance the President’s clear vision and bold agenda set forth on Day One of his Administration.
Administrator Regan started by recounting the weight of the moment in early 2021, and the staff’s resolve to take on big challenges as the country was still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic:
While the circumstances should have felt overwhelming… they weren’t… because I know who YOU are.
Team EPA is tenacious…resilient…and fearless…
The fight, the spirit, and the perseverance of our team is unparalleled…
Because together, there is absolutely nothing we can’t accomplish…
From day one, President Biden promised a bold and ambitious environmental agenda… and EPA was at the center.
Since then, thanks to the dedicated career workforce, EPA has made remarkable strides to protect human health and the environment in a way that ensures all people – especially those that have been historically overburdened by pollution and underserved by federal investments – are protected equally under the law. To ensure these communities were at the forefront of EPA decision-making, Administrator Regan launched the Journey to Justice in 2021:
For far too long, too many communities across our country have disproportionately suffered from a lack of investment and adequate access to critical public health protections.
President Biden is fighting with the sense of urgency that pollution and the climate crisis demands…and he’s rising to the occasion to right these longstanding wrongs.
Buoyed by his clarity of vision and strong sense of purpose, we launched our Journey to Justice tour in 2021.
I wanted to meet people in their communities…
I wanted to hear directly from some of our nation’s most neglected and underserved communities…I wanted to see what they see.
And we didn’t just visit these communities to hear about their challenges…we sought to see and feel them firsthand so that our decisions were informed by real-life experiences.
Building on these insights, EPA established the first ever Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights in September 2022. This national program office, with over 200 staff and billions in new funding to invest in community solutions, elevates environmental justice to the highest levels of the federal government, ensuring dedicated efforts to address longstanding disparities for years to come.
This ambitious agenda to protect public health and the environment has been complemented and accelerated by President Biden’s unprecedented investments in America, which charged EPA with the deployment of more than $100 billion to ensure all communities have funding to address critical infrastructure, climate and environmental justice needs:
President Biden showed even more confidence in you by securing more than $100 billion dollars through historic legislation.
These billions of dollars in resources complement our traditional mission…spurring us to move further and faster than ever before while creating jobs, growing our economy and supercharging private investment in clean technologies.
Administrator Regan also spent time highlighting the role young people have played in this movement, from the advocates at the forefront of social change, to the emerging leaders who have joined EPA’s ranks to the members of the newly established National Environmental Youth Advisory Council:
History has shown us that young people have always played a central role in demanding social and political change.
From the young leaders who peacefully protested segregated lunch counters during the civil rights movement…
To the groups of students who fought to lower the national voting age from 21 to 18…
To the college students who organized national demonstrations that led to the very first earth day…
To the brave young folks demanding climate action NOW…
Every generation has its own defining challenge…
And just like President Biden said, the challenge of our time is climate change.
I’m grateful for the young employees who’ve joined our ranks, as well as the members of EPA’s newly launched National Environmental Youth Advisory Council—because young people deserve a seat at the table… their leadership is crucial to our future.
These young leaders will bridge the gap between EPA and the communities they represent—ensuring that the environmental issues impacting communities across the country, are heard, and addressed.
The speech concluded with a call for continued momentum and agency growth, with over 5,000 new employees onboarded since 2021, and the role of EPA in keeping the nation safe for generations to come:
America needs a strong EPA.
An EPA that can respond to the communities shattered by catastrophic wildfires and hurricanes…
An EPA that partners with the advocates who have dedicated their lives to fighting for cleaner air, safer water, and healthier communities…
An EPA that empowers the parents who are working tirelessly to protect their children from PFAS and lead exposure…
And an EPA that invests in young leaders who are dedicating their lives to protecting our planet.
Let me tell you what I know…
I know our future is bright, and the state of EPA is stronger than ever.
I know we won’t let up until all communities have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink…
And, I couldn’t be prouder to lead this EPA… at this critical moment in time…under this President’s leadership.
EPA remains steadfast in our mission to deliver bold and effective solutions for environmental protection and public health. These accomplishments demonstrate our agency’s dedication to embedding environmental justice in all of our work and engaging the next generation in the fight against climate change.
Additional Background on Agency Accomplishments
Climate and Air Pollution Reduction (pdf)
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-administrator-michael-s-regan-addresses-epa-staff-mark-historic-environmental
