EPA Administrator Michael Regan's 2022 Earth Day Message to EPA Employees
The message below was emailed to EPA employees, April 22, 2022:
Dear Colleagues,
More than 50 years ago, millions of students, teachers, and Americans from all walks of life rallied together in support of a shared mission — to protect our planet and her people from environmental harm.
That first Earth Day changed our relationship with the natural world in untold ways and inspired the creation of our beloved U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In the decades since, much progress has been made — cleaner air for our children to breathe, safer water flowing through our taps, stronger protections against dangerous chemicals, and so much more. Many of you have played instrumental roles in securing these vital safeguards and paving the way toward a healthier future for all.
While we have come a long way from the days of soot lining our windowsills and rivers catching on fire, there is still much work to do to tackle the most pressing environmental challenges we face — none more urgent than confronting the climate crisis and achieving environmental justice.
Over the last year, thanks to your commitment, hard work, and innovation, we have taken important steps toward fulfilling both these missions.
Together, we have moved full steam ahead to meet President Biden’s goal of restoring climate leadership at home and abroad.
We issued the most ambitious federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks in history, established a final rule to cap and phase down the production and consumption of climate-damaging HFCs, and proposed a new rule to sharply reduce methane from the oil and natural gas industry — including, for the first time, reductions from existing sources nationwide. And on the world stage, our voice once again echoes with a credibility that comes only from being a nation that lives up to its word.
I am especially proud of how we have stepped up as an agency to embed environmental justice into our DNA.
I have had the privilege to visit frontline communities across our country and see firsthand the injustices they have suffered for generations. We have taken initial actions that respond directly to many of the concerns I saw and heard firsthand — from ordering the installation of community air monitors to holding companies more accountable for their actions in overburdened communities. We have laid a strong foundation, but we will not rest until all people in this country benefit equally from the protections of our environmental laws.
While we are beginning to correct the policies and practices that have created systemic injustice, this work will not happen overnight. It will take all of us remaining deeply committed to building a future in which all people see themselves and can live up to their fullest potential.
Thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate our efforts to deliver cleaner air for our kids, build more sustainable, equitable water infrastructure, and clean up longstanding pollution in underserved communities — all while creating good-paying jobs across the country.
Join us in celebrating Earth Day today. Read President Biden’s proclamation, share a photo on social media showing how you're celebrating with the hashtag #EarthDayatEPA, show off your artistic skills with our
Earth Day Coloring Sheet (pdf)
, or check out our digital “photo frame” on Facebook.
We are just getting started, and I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about what we will continue to achieve together. Happy Earth Day EPA. Let’s get to work!
Michael S. Regan
Administrator