The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other environmental statutes. The administrator is nominated by the president of the United States and must be confirmed by a vote of the Senate.

Quick Facts Member of, Inaugural holder ...
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Thumb
Seal of the Environmental Protection Agency
Incumbent
James Payne
Acting 
since January 20, 2025
Member ofCabinet
Inaugural holderWilliam D. Ruckelshaus
Formation1970
Websitewww.epa.gov
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On March 10, 2021, Michael S. Regan was confirmed by a vote 66 to 34 as the administrator of the EPA, the first Black man to serve in this role.[1]

Rank in the Cabinet

Since the Clinton administration, the EPA administrator has been accorded cabinet rank by the president. The administrator of the EPA is equivalent to the position of Minister of the Environment in other countries. There have been various proposals to make the EPA a full executive department.

List of administrators

  Denotes Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
More information No., Officeholder ...
No. Officeholder Term Start Term End President(s)
1
Thumb William Ruckelshaus December 4, 1970 April 30, 1973 Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
Thumb Robert W. Fri
Acting
April 30, 1973 September 12, 1973
2
Thumb Russell E. Train September 12, 1973 January 20, 1977
Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
Thumb John Quarles Jr.
Acting
January 21, 1977 March 6, 1977 Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
3
Thumb Douglas M. Costle March 7, 1977 January 20, 1981
Thumb Steven Jellinek
Acting
January 21, 1981 January 25, 1981 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
Thumb Walter Barber Jr.
Acting
January 25, 1981 May 19, 1981
4
Thumb Anne Gorsuch Burford May 20, 1981 March 9, 1983
Thumb Lee Verstandig
Acting
March 10, 1983 May 17, 1983
5
Thumb William Ruckelshaus May 18, 1983 January 4, 1985
6
Thumb Lee M. Thomas January 4, 1985 February 8, 1985
February 8, 1985 January 20, 1989
Thumb John Moore
Acting
January 20, 1989 February 6, 1989 George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
7
Thumb William K. Reilly February 6, 1989 January 20, 1993
Thumb W. Michael McCabe
Acting
January 20, 1993 January 31, 1993 Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
8
Thumb Carol Browner January 31, 1993 January 20, 2001
9
Thumb Christine Todd Whitman January 31, 2001 June 27, 2003 George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
Thumb Linda Fisher
Acting
June 27, 2003 July 14, 2003
Thumb Marianne Lamont Horinko
Acting
July 14, 2003 November 5, 2003
10
Thumb Mike Leavitt November 6, 2003 January 26, 2005
11
Thumb Stephen L. Johnson January 26, 2005 May 2, 2005
May 2, 2005 January 20, 2009
Thumb Granta Nakayama
Acting
January 20, 2009 January 21, 2009 Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
Thumb Mike Shapiro
Acting
January 21, 2009 January 23, 2009
12
Thumb Lisa P. Jackson January 23, 2009 February 15, 2013
Thumb Bob Perciasepe
Acting
February 15, 2013 July 18, 2013
13
Thumb Gina McCarthy July 18, 2013 January 20, 2017
Thumb Catherine McCabe
Acting
January 20, 2017 February 17, 2017 Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
14
Thumb Scott Pruitt February 17, 2017 July 9, 2018
15
Thumb Andrew R. Wheeler July 9, 2018 February 28, 2019
February 28, 2019 January 20, 2021
Thumb Charlotte Bertrand
Acting[a]
January 20, 2021 January 20, 2021 Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
Thumb Jane Nishida
Acting
January 20, 2021 March 11, 2021
16
Thumb Michael S. Regan March 11, 2021 December 31, 2024
Thumb Jane Nishida
Acting
January 1, 2025 January 20, 2025
Thumb James Payne
Acting
January 20, 2025 present Donald Trump
(2025–present)
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  1. Served as Acting Administrator in her capacity as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water for a few hours following the conclusion of the term Andrew R. Wheeler at noon on January 20, 2021. President Joe Biden signed an executive order naming principal deputy assistant head of the Office of International and Tribal Affairs Jane Nishida as acting Administrator later that day.[2][3]

List of deputy administrators

  • Robert W. Fri June 14, 1971 – April 29, 1973
  • John R. Quarles Jr. April 29, 1973 – January 20, 1977
  • Barbara Blum March 7, 1977 – January 20, 1981
  • John W. Hernandez Jr. May 20, 1981 – March 25, 1983
  • Alvin L. Alm August 5, 1983 – May 9, 1985
  • A. James Barnes May 10, 1985 – August 14, 1988
  • John A. Moore (Acting) August 15, 1988 – January 20, 1989
    (Acting) February 5, 1989 – May 18, 1989
  • F. Henry Habicht II May 19, 1989 – January 20, 1993
  • Jonathan Z. Cannon (Acting) March 8, 1993 – May 9, 1993
  • Robert M. Sussman May 10, 1993 – October 17, 1994
  • Fred Hansen October 18, 1994 – September 30, 1998
  • Peter D. Robertson (Acting) October 1, 1998 – December 7, 1999
  • W. Michael McCabe (Acting) December 8, 1999 – August 5, 2000
    August 6, 2000 – January 19, 2001
  • Linda Fisher May 31, 2001 – June 27, 2003
  • Stephen L. Johnson (Acting) July 12, 2003 – August 1, 2004
    August 2, 2004 – January 26, 2005
  • Marcus Peacock August 8, 2005 – January 20, 2009
  • Scott Fulton February 4, 2009 – December 24, 2009
  • Bob Perciasepe December 24, 2009 – August 8, 2014
  • Lisa Feldt (Acting) August 8, 2014 – October 7, 2014
  • Stan Meiburg (Acting) October 7, 2014 – January 20, 2017
  • Mike Flynn January 20, 2017 – April 3, 2018
  • Andrew R. Wheeler April 20, 2018 – February 28, 2019
  • Henry Darwin July 9, 2018 – September 2019
  • Janet McCabe April 29, 2021 – October 4, 2024
  • Jane Nishida (Acting) October 5, 2024 - December 31, 2024
  • Dan Utech (Acting) January 1, 2025 - January 20, 2025

Acting administrators

Acting administrators usually assume the office in the interim period between the resignation of a previous administrator and the confirmation of his or her successor, including during the transition period between two presidential administrations, before the successor has been nominated and confirmed. Acting administrators come from within the EPA and usually hold an office that is subject to Senate confirmation before becoming the acting administrator. Linda Fisher and Stephen L. Johnson had served as Deputy Administrator when they became acting administrator. Marianne Lamont Horinko was an assistant administrator at the time. They are not subject to Senate confirmation to serve as the acting administrator, though to continue to serve as a full-fledged administrator (as in the case of Lee M. Thomas or Stephen L. Johnson), they must be confirmed by the Senate.

Line of succession

The line of succession for the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is as follows:[4]

  1. Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
  2. General Counsel
  3. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management
  4. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
  5. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation
  6. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water
  7. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
  8. Chief Financial Officer
  9. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development
  10. Assistant Administrator for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs
  11. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Administration and Resources Management
  12. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Environmental Information
  13. Regional Administrator, Region 7 (Kansas City, Kansas)
  14. Principal Deputy General Counsel
  15. Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
  16. Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 2 (New York, New York)
  17. Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 5 (Chicago, Illinois)

See also

References

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