Michael Regan has stepped down as Administrator of the Biden-Harris Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as of December 31. His future plans remain unannounced, but speculation suggests he may join environmental activist groups that received significant funding from the EPA during his tenure. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, also known as "Greendoggle," distributed billions to organizations linked to associates and allies of the administration.
There is a precedent for such moves, as seen with David Hayes, former White House Special Assistant for Climate Policy. Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) filed an ethics complaint against Hayes in June 2024 regarding his involvement with an organization that received $5 billion from the EPA while he was on its board.
Melissa Hoffer, former principal deputy general counsel at the EPA, faced scrutiny over her transition to Massachusetts' climate czar role. She delayed notifying the EPA's ethics office about her employment negotiations, potentially violating federal ethics laws.
Joseph Goffman, Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, has been subject to multiple ethics complaints. These include violations related to recusal obligations and financial holdings divestment delays. An investigation by the EPA Inspector General found him in breach of ethics rules but did not result in prosecution.
David Batson, former Senior Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialist at the EPA, was involved in a controversial Superfund cleanup project after leaving government service. This raised concerns about potential violations of lifetime bans on former federal employees engaging with issues they handled while in office.
"Wherever Mr. Regan lands next, I hope for his sake that ethics has a higher priority than it had at the EPA while he ran it," said PPT Director Michael Chamberlain. He criticized what he described as a loss of public trust due to relationships between special interest groups and agency officials under Regan's leadership.
