Former Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality Has Experience to Understand the Magnitude of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Effort

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Washington, DC – Today, upon the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Chesapeake Conservancy President & CEO Joel Dunn issued the following statement:

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“As the former Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, EPA Administrator Michael Regan brings a unique understanding of the challenges faced by state and local governments on matters of environmental justice, climate change, restoration, and public health, and how the federal government can best support these efforts.“As environmental justice for diverse communities continues to be an ongoing issue for our nation, we welcome the perspective and applaud the confirmation of the first Black man to run the EPA.

“Clean air and water quality are vital to the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, the first estuary in the nation to be targeted for restoration as an integrated watershed and ecosystem. For 40 years, there’s been an international spotlight on one of the hardest-fought restoration efforts of our time, and EPA support is absolutely paramount to our success.

“We look forward to working with Administrator Regan as we strive to help the Chesapeake Bay restoration movement meet the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement goals by 2025. We welcome his expertise and look forward to continuing to support the EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Program through our innovative use of technology and high-resolution data.”