Michael Regan is the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. He is actually highly qualified for the position. As the Southeast Regional Director of the EPA, he led North Carolina to a clean energy economy. He was responsible for designing strategic solutions with industry to reduce air pollution, improve green energy innovations and address climate change.

He helped Duke Energy with their large coal ash contamination cleanup which had been dumping highly toxic waste into unlined pits near residential neighborhoods. He also prevented Chemours in Fayetteville from contaminating the Cape Fear river with their GenX, (PFAS) the forever chemical. GenX was found in wells 15 miles from the plant and alligators tested positive in Cape Fear.

This is a critical time in our country as the EPA addresses air and water quality, sanitation systems, industrial pollution and climate change. Congressman Matt Cartwright has informed me that Pennsylvania will be getting $245 million in 2022 from Biden’s Infrastructure and Jobs Act to clean up abandoned mines. One third of the nation’s abandoned mine lands sites are in Pennsylvania, and many are located in the northeast.

Cleaning up these remote areas will pave the way for future economic development like solar systems. It will help lessen environment impact, and avoid beautiful locations used for recreation, essential for the Pocono region. It’s already happening in Southwest Virginia thanks to the Nature Conservancy.

Seriously, according to NOAA, many characteristics of our climate system are already acting as a part of dangerous positive feedback loops. There is a growing threat of abrupt and irreversible climate changes which may trigger biosphere tipping points across ecosystems. Our youth are well aware of these problems. And, you can certainly see, “I’m with Greta.”

Honey bees “colony collapse disorder,” deforestation, oceanic dead zones, ozone layer depletion, acid rain, improper waste management, contaminated wells, soil pollution, and lack of clean drinking water.

Does any of this mean anything to you?

Debra Becker

Effort