Trump administration officials have appointed former Colorado Public Utilities Commission chairman Greg Sopkin as the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional chief to oversee agency efforts in six western states.
Sopkin, 54, has been working on energy, environment and telecommunications matters for a private law firm following his PUC service from 2003 to 2007. He’ll replace Doug Benevento at the EPA, who has been promoted to a national advisory role.
And he intends to build on Benevento’s approach of prioritizing uncontested core air quality and clean-up priorities of the agency, he said Tuesday in an interview with The Denver Post.
“I’m going to focus my attention on the most pressing problems, which are Superfund sites and ozone (air quality standard) attainment, and also to make sure states are doing their own jobs where they have primary authority,” Sopkin said.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to announce the appointment Wednesday morning. Sopkin will oversee environmental protection efforts in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota and Montana.
“Greg’s experience in public service and familiarity with the western region make him a great fit to lead the Region 8 office,” Wheeler said in a statement sent to The Post. “I look forward to working with Greg to advance the agency’s mission and protect human health and the environment for our mountain west residents.”
At the PUC, Sopkin favored a pro-market approach, conducting quasi-judicial and quasi-legislative proceedings. He drafted legal decisions, met with state lawmakers and looked into utility service outages. He previously worked as an assistant state attorney general representing the PUC in state and federal court.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser issued a statement praising Sopkin’s commitment to public service.
“The protection of our land, air and water depends on sound leadership at the EPA Region 8 office,” Weiser said. “Having a Coloradan with a background steeped in law and government administration will be valuable as we take on important issues in the future.”
