Biden Taps Expert To Head EPA’s Air Office As It Tackles Climate Rules

"The nomination of Joseph Goffman, a veteran of the agency, sets up a tough confirmation battle in the 50-50 Senate."

"President Biden on Tuesday nominated Joseph Goffman to lead the Environmental Protection Agency’s air office, elevating a seasoned expert on the nation’s environmental laws and setting up a tough confirmation battle in the narrowly divided Senate.

Goffman, a veteran of the EPA under Barack Obama, has been leading the agency’s Office of Air and Radiation on an acting basis since January 2021. He has overseen the development of consequential climate change regulations such as tighter limits on tailpipe emissions from new cars and trucks. The air office also is crafting a major new rule to curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, the country’s second-largest contributor to climate change.

The nomination could garner criticism from Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which vets EPA nominees. Specifically, GOP senators will likely denounce Goffman’s writings from his time at Harvard Law School in between stints at EPA. The writings were often critical of the EPA’s efforts to dismantle environmental regulations under President Donald Trump."

Maxine Joselow reports for the Washington Post March 8, 2022.

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Source: Washington Post, 03/09/2022