Biden nominates Joseph Goffman as EPA’s air office role

Republicans on Senate Environment and Public Works Committee could be critical of Goffman’s nomination. They are charged with vetting EPA nominees. Goffman’s writings from Harvard Law School between his stints at EPA will be criticized by GOP senators. The writings were often critical about the EPA’s attempts to eliminate environmental regulations under Donald Trump.

Goffman, who has a 50-50 Senate majority, could still win confirmation if all Democrat support him. It is not clear when the nomination will be moved, considering the packed congressional agenda, which includes passing a deal that funds the federal government, delivering assistance to Ukraine after Russia’s unprovoked invasion, and holding confirmation hearings to confirm Supreme Court nominee Ketanji brown Jackson.

Goffman told The Post that the president taping him to serve the public and make an impact is truly a lifetime privilege. It was an honor to be named principal deputy assistant administrator in January last year. This is even more so when the president offers this opportunity.

Michael Regan, EPA Administrator, stated that Joe Goffman has been delivering on the Biden/Harris Administrations agenda to address the climate crisis, protect communities and advance environmental justice, and ensure clean, breathable, air for all.

We are proud to have been nominated by President Biden and we look forward that Congress will swiftly act on his confirmation, Regan said.

Goffman is no stranger in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. He was the panels associate counsel in 1989 and 90, and the chief counsel for the Democrats in 2017. Goffman was the chief architect of Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 90, which established a program that nearly eliminated acid rain, an environmental threat.

Goffman was the first person to join the EPAs Air Office in 2009, just before the Obama administration began. He was a key player in the creation and implementation of the Clean Power Plan by Obama, which is his signature plan to reduce greenhouse gas emission from the power sector by 32 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

In 2016, the Supreme Court made a surprise decision to stop the Clean Power Plan from going into effect nationwide. After the Trump administration’s weaker substitute rule was thrown out by the federal appeals court, the Biden administration has begun drafting a new regulation.

Some climate activists are concerned that the conservative majority of the Supreme Court could limit EPA’s authority to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas-fired power stations. Last month, the justices heard oral arguments in a challenge by coal-mining companies as well as Republican-led states to the EPA’s climate authority.

Rich Gold, an attorney and lobbyist with Holland & Knight, stated that Goffman’s deep knowledge of the legal basis for the power plant rules and other regulations makes him a smart choice for the helm of the EPAs air department.

Goffman is an experienced Washington environmental policymaker who has a track-record of working with industry, the environmental community and on greenhouse gas regulations in the electric utility industry.

Goffman resigned from the EPA in January 2017 to become the executive director of Harvard’s energy and environmental law program. He was an academic who wrote a number pieces critical of Trump’s rollbacks to environmental policies. 2019 paperThe Trump EPA claimed that it had used dubious arguments to justify its weaker regulation of power plants.

These assertions could come back up in Goffman’s confirmation hearings. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, W.Va., is the top Republican member of the Environment and Public Works Panel. championedThe Trump EPAs power plant rule is a boon to West Virginia and other coal-rich States. Concerned about the presidents climate agenda, Capito already opposed three of Biden’s other nominees for top EPA positions.

Goffmans nomination was however praised by at most one well-known conservative voice in the industry on environmental regulations.

Goffman is highly qualified, and he should draw bipartisan support, stated Paul Noe (vice president for public policies at the American Forest & Paper Association), who has known Goffman for 27 year.

Noe stated that Joe is a great choice as the head of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. Although it is a difficult job, he has the experience and expertise as well as the problem-solving and collaboration skills to succeed. Joe has shown his ability to collaborate with industry to find sustainable solutions.

The EPA can also use its climate rule to force the shutdown of the nation’s most polluting coal plants. In January, the agency issued a legal ruling that it was appropriate and necessary to limit emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants by power plant smokestacks. This could open the door for tighter standards.

The agency is also advancing efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transportation, which is the country’s largest source of carbon dioxide. Biden also supported the EPA’s Monday move to reduce smog-forming pollutants from heavy trucks. Directed the agencyTo issue greenhouse gas standards for new tractor trailers, buses and other heavy-duty vehicle in the future.