“She is caring and thoughtful, but she also gets things done, and that’s a really rare combination at this level of politics,” one former colleague says.
By Brady Dennis, Washington Post
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Brenda Mallory, a longtime expert in environmental law and regulation, to head the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality, according to several people familiar with the decision who spoke anonymously because the appointment has not been publicly announced.
The nomination would place a veteran government official and conservation advocate in a key administration post, one who works closely with agencies to shape federal environmental and energy policy and to ensure individual communities have a voice in the construction of pipelines, roads and other potentially polluting projects.
Christy Goldfuss, who led the CEQ under President Barack Obama and worked closely alongside Mallory, said she was “ecstatic” about her nomination.
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“She has the perfect personality and skill set to navigate these really difficult times,” said Goldfuss, now senior vice president for energy and environment policy at the Center for American Progress. “It really takes someone who knows how to collaborate and build consensus to get things accomplished. She is caring and thoughtful, but she also gets things done, and that’s a really rare combination at this level of politics.”
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Mallory, if confirmed by the Senate, would be part of growing team of top administration officials who have long records of prioritizing climate and environmental issues.
Biden has tapped Gina McCarthy, who ran the Environmental Protection Agency under Obama and now leads a major advocacy group, to coordinate the new administration’s domestic climate agenda. He has named former secretary of state John F. Kerry as McCarthy’s counterpart, focusing on international climate policy. And he plans to nominate former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, a strong proponent for zero-emissions vehicles, as energy secretary.
