Mallory confirmed to lead CEQ

Last month, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved President Biden’s pick, Brenda Mallory, to chair the White House Council on Environmental Quality in a bipartisan vote. Today, the full Senate approved her nomination in a bipartisan vote of 53-45. Mallory worked for many years at the Environmental Protection Agency, and more recently, as general counsel for the Council, the agency she would lead under Biden. She currently is director of regulatory policy at the Southern Environmental Law Center, a non-profit advocacy group.

Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society said:

“Brenda Mallory is an outstanding choice to lead the Council at this critical moment when so much needs to be done. Mallory’s wealth of experience means she will be ready to hit the ground running to undo the damage of the Trump years, particularly restoring common sense requirements for environmental review and public participation in government decision making. She will also bring an overdue focus to addressing the climate crisis, protecting public lands, pursuing environmental justice, and ensuring everyone benefits from our shared natural resources. We vigorously congratulate Brenda Mallory and look forward to her leadership.”

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Mallory is expected to play a key role in restoring environmental protections under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Trump administration’s Council gutted the regulations that governed for more than four decades how all federal agencies comply with the NEPA - our nation’s environmental bill of rights. TWS has argued the rollback attempted to prevent the federal government from considering the climate change impacts of its decisions, silence the voices of frontline communities, and benefit corporate polluters by fast-tracking approvals for mining, drilling, and pipeline projects. The NEPA rollbacks are deeply inconsistent with President Biden’s commitments to tackling the climate and environmental justice crises. 

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For more information, contact Tony Iallonardo at tony_iallonardo@tws.org.