Press Release - Readout of EPA Administrator-designate Michael Regan's Virtual Meeting with Agriculture Industry Leaders

EPA Administrator-designate Michael Regan hosted a virtual roundtable today with more than 16 members of the Ag CEO Council and staff, composed of leaders of some of the largest agriculture and farm organizations in the U.S. He was joined by incoming Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, Cedric Richmond. During the meeting, Administrator-designate Regan reiterated President-elect Joe Biden's commitment to working with agricultural leaders to promote healthy and secure food supplies, clean air, and clean water.

They also discussed how the incoming Biden-Harris Administration will work closely with agricultural producers to find practical, common sense solutions to environmental challenges, to create jobs and expand economic opportunities in rural communities through the Build Back Better plan, and to harness the ingenuity of farmers and ranchers to promote clean energy and tackle climate change.

Administrator-designate Regan described his own experiences growing up in eastern North Carolina, and his understanding of the importance of both protecting environmental quality and supporting the economic health of rural communities. The Administrator-designate shared that his grandfather was a small farmer in Bladen County, North Carolina where he planted corn, tobacco, peanuts, and soybeans and also raised pork and poultry.

Administrator-designate Regan and Richmond were joined in the meeting by:

• Vincent "Zippy" Duvall, President (Co-Chair), American Farm Bureau
• Daren Coppock, President & CEO, Ag Retailers Association
• Andrew Lavigne, President and CEO, American Seed Trade Association
• Steve Censky, CEO, American Soybean Growers Association
• Luther Markwart, Executive Vice President, American Sugarbeet Growers Association
• Erick Lutt, Senior Director, Biotechnology Innovation Organization
• Chris Novak, President & CEO (Chair), CropLife America
• Corey Rosenbusch, President & CEO, The Fertilizer Institute
• Chandler Goule, CEO (Co-Chair), National Association of Wheat Growers
• Colin Woodall, CEO, National Cattlemen's Beef Association
• Jon Doggett, CEO, National Corn Growers Association
• Neil Dierks, CEO, National Pork Producers Council
• Tim Lust, CEO, National Sorghum Producers
• Tom Stenzel, President and CEO, United Fresh Produce Association
• Betsy Ward, President and CEO, USA Rice Federation
• Barb Glenn, CEO, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture