Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

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

The following persons served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency:

Table notes:

List of deputy administrators

The following persons served as deputy administrator:

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:

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)

References

References

1. Frazin, Rachel. (January 29, 2025). "Senate confirms Zeldin to be EPA administrator".
2. "Chronology of EPA Administrators". EPA.
3. (December 4, 1970). "Remarks at the Swearing In of William D. Ruckelshaus as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.". The Nixon White House.
4. "Bill Ruckelshaus, 1932-2019". EPA.
5. "William D. Ruckelshaus (Acting), April 30, 1973 - July 9, 1973". FBI.
6. "Biography of Acting Administrator Marianne Lamont Horinko". EPA.
7. (July 19, 2020). "#OTD in 2013, Gina McCarthy is sworn in as the 27th EPA Administrator". EPA.
8. "EPA's Acting Administrator". EPA.
9. (February 17, 2017). "Scott Pruitt Confirmed and Sworn in as EPA Administrator". EPA.
10. (July 5, 2018). "Scott Pruitt Out At EPA". [[NPR]].
11. "EPA Administrator Wheeler". EPA.
12. "About the Office of the Administrator".
13. (March 11, 2021). "Michael S. Regan Sworn in as 16th EPA Administrator". EPA.
14. Daly, Matthew. (December 20, 2024). "EPA head Regan, who championed environmental justice, to leave office Dec. 31". [[Associated Press]].
15. Friedman, Lisa. (December 20, 2024). "E.P.A. Administrator Michael Regan to Depart at End of December". [[The New York Times]].
16. Bogardus, Kevin. (January 17, 2025). "EPA’s mission support boss to be acting administrator". [[E&E News]].
17. Bogardus, Kevin. (January 21, 2025). "Trump taps new EPA acting boss". [[E&E News]].
18. (January 30, 2025). "Lee M. Zeldin Sworn in as 17th EPA Administrator". EPA.
19. "Chronology of EPA Deputy Administrators". EPA.
20. Henry, Mike. (July 12, 2018). "Pruitt Successor Expected to Continue Controversial EPA Science Policies". [[American Institute of Physics]].
21. (April 29, 2021). "Janet McCabe Sworn in as 16th EPA Deputy Administrator". EPA.
22. Moerman, Jessica. (October 4, 2024). "EEN Thanks EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe for Years of Service Defending Public Health". Evangelical Environmental Network.
23. Friedman, Lisa. (2025-01-25). "Trump Stocks E.P.A. With Oil, Gas and Chemical Lobbyists". The New York Times.
24. "EPA Deputy Administrator". EPA.
25. (August 17, 2016). "Providing an Order of Succession Within the Environmental Protection Agency". Federal Register.