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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced on December 11th that Ms. Anne Idsal has been appointed Regional Administrator for Region 6.

Ms. Idsal has served since 2015 as Chief Clerk and Deputy Land Commissioner for the Texas General Land Office.

Region 6 is one of the 10 EPA regional offices. This regional office encompasses New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Ms. Idsal previously served as General Counsel at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. She also worked in United States Senator (Texas) John Cornyn’s office.

Ms. Idsal received a B.A. in Politics from Washington and Lee University in 2005 and her J.D. from Baylor Law School in 2010.

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality Director Becky Keogh is quoted in an EPA news release on Ms. Idsal’s appointment as stating:

The appointment of Anne Idsal is excellent news for the state’s Region 6. Anne is a proven leader with a track record commitment to the rule of law and cooperative federalism. We are confident that she will ensure our voices as state regulators will never be muted and instead will be amplified. The news of Anne’s selection signals a return to state-lead environmental policy making – a harbinger if ever there was one.

Note that Arkansas has been delegated basically every significant environmental program for purposes of implementation and enforcement. As a result, EPA Region 6 arguably has less impact on routine Arkansas matters than other states who have not received program delegation. Nevertheless, the Region does have some oversight authority on certain permits.

A copy of the EPA news release can be downloaded here.