Staff Move Raises Doubt On EPA's Acting Chief After Biden Inauguration

摘要

EPA's recent announcement that water office official Charlotte Bertrand is joining the administrator's office is sparking questions about whether the move is a prelude to her being elevated to acting administrator after the Biden administration takes office, and whether that would complicate the Biden team's ability to implement its agenda. But even if Bertrand does not serve as EPA's acting administrator after Jan. 20 - a position currently governed by an Obama executive order detailing the line of succession at the agency - she would still be the highest-ranking career official at the agency. EPA Chief of Staff Mandy Gunasekara announced Bertrand's new posting in a recent email to colleagues, noting that Bertrand, now the deputy assistant administrator for policy in the Office of Water, will join Administrator Andrew Wheeler's office effective Dec. 20 as associate deputy administrator for programs.