EPA Region 6 gets new administrator

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 has a new administrator.

Ken McQueen of New Mexico will replace Anne Idsal, who left the region to work at the EPA in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

McQueen was New Mexico’s Cabinet secretary for the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department from 2016-18, according to a news release from the EPA.

Before that, he was vice president of Williams/WPX Energy from 2002-16 and was an engineer at Vintage Petroleum from 1994 until 2002, the release states.

Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment Secretary Becky W. Keogh was quoted in the EPA news release as saying department leaders “commend” McQueen’s work in New Mexico to “streamline rules and regulations.”

“We look forward to strong partnerships and cooperation to drive environmental improvements of local, regional, and national importance,” Keogh said in the news release.

The Sierra Club issued a statement opposing McQueen’s appointment, calling it a “dangerous mistake” because he has “repeatedly proven he will put the interests of oil and gas companies before our health and the bountiful resources that make New Mexico and Southwest unique.”

Region 6 encompasses Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. The regional offices are often the offices that work with states on regulation changes, inspections and enforcement actions.

Arkansas is delegated the authority to issue permits under federal laws, which the region would do if the state did not have such authority. The region reviews and approves Arkansas’ rule changes and other regular reporting, such as the state’s biannual list of impaired water bodies.

The region also takes over larger enforcement cases. In December, the agency announced a multimillion-dollar consent decree against Georgia-Pacific’s paper mill in Crossett that was entered into with the state Department of Environmental Quality.