NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • December 17, 2020
President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate environmental lawyer and Obama administration veteran Brenda Mallory to run the Council on Environmental Quality, according to a source with knowledge of the decision. The CEQ oversees environmental reviews for virtually all major infrastructure projects, including pipelines and highways. Biden has promised to make climate change a top priority, and Mallory's appointment fleshes out a climate team with expertise in regulation, finance, diplomacy and environmental law. Mallory would work with John Kerry, the National Security Council's first special presidential envoy on climate; and Gina McCarthy, who would coordinate the domestic climate group within the White House. Biden's top economic adviser, Brian Deese, also has experience crafting climate policy.