The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other environmental statutes. The administrator is nominated by the president of the United States and must be confirmed by a vote of the Senate.
Lee Zeldin is the current administrator of the EPA.
Rank in the Cabinet Since the Clinton administration, the EPA administrator has been accorded cabinet rank by the president. The administrator of the EPA is equivalent to the position of minister of the environment in other countries. There have been various proposals to make the EPA a full executive department.
List of administrators The following persons served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency:
OfficeholderTerm startTerm endPresident(s)(1969–1974)(1974–1977) (1977–1981)(1981–1989)(1989–1993)(1993–2001)(2001–2009)(2009–2017)(2017–2021)(2021–2025)(2025–present)present Table notes:
List of deputy administrators The following persons served as deputy administrator:
OfficeholderTerm startTerm end1Robert W. FriJune 14, 1971April 29, 1973acting John R. Quarles Jr.April 29, 1973October 18, 19732October 19, 1973January 20, 19773Barbara BlumMarch 7, 1977January 20, 19814John W. Hernandez Jr.May 20, 1981March 25, 19835Alvin L. AlmAugust 5, 1983May 9, 19856A. James BarnesMay 10, 1985August 14, 1988actingJohn A. MooreAugust 15, 1988January 20, 1989VacantJanuary 20, 1989February 4, 1989actingJohn A. MooreFebruary 5, 1989May 18, 19897F. Henry Habicht IIMay 19, 1989January 20, 1993actingRichard MorgensternJanuary 21, 1993March 7, 1993actingJonathan Z. CannonMarch 8, 1993May 9, 19938Robert M. SussmanMay 10, 1993October 17, 19949Fred HansenOctober 18, 1994September 30, 1998acting Peter D. RobertsonOctober 1, 1998December 7, 1999acting W. Michael McCabeDecember 8, 1999August 6, 200010August 6, 2000January 20, 2001VacantJanuary 20, 2001May 31, 200111Linda FisherMay 31, 2001June 27, 2003VacantJune 28, 2003July 11, 2003actingStephen L. JohnsonJuly 11, 2003August 1, 200412August 1, 2004January 26, 2005VacantJanuary 26, 2005August 8, 200513Marcus PeacockAugust 8, 2005January 20, 2009VacantJanuary 20, 2009February 4, 2009actingScott FultonFebruary 4, 2009December 24, 200914Bob PerciasepeDecember 24, 2009August 7, 2014actingLisa FeldtAugust 8, 2014October 7, 2014actingStan MeiburgOctober 7, 2014January 20, 2017actingMike FlynnJanuary 20, 2017April 3, 201815Andrew R. WheelerApril 12, 2018July 9, 2019actingHenry DarwinJuly 9, 2019January 20, 2021VacantJanuary 20, 2021April 28, 202116Janet McCabeApril 29, 2021October 4, 2024actingJane NishidaOctober 5, 2024December 31, 2024actingDan UtechJanuary 1, 2025January 20, 2025acting Gregg TremlJanuary 20, 2025January 29, 2025actingChad McIntoshJanuary 29, 2025June 16, 202517David FotouhiJune 16, 2025present
Acting administrators Acting administrators usually assume the office in the interim period between the resignation of a previous administrator and the confirmation of his or her successor, including during the transition period between two presidential administrations, before the successor has been nominated and confirmed. Acting administrators come from within the EPA and usually hold an office that is subject to Senate confirmation before becoming the acting administrator. Linda Fisher and Stephen L. Johnson had served as Deputy Administrator when they became acting administrator. Marianne Lamont Horinko was an assistant administrator at the time. They are not subject to Senate confirmation to serve as the acting administrator, though to continue to serve as a full-fledged administrator (as in the case of Lee M. Thomas or Stephen L. Johnson), they must be confirmed by the Senate.
Line of succession The line of succession for the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is as follows: Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency General Counsel Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Chief Financial Officer Assistant Administrator for the Office of Research and Development Assistant Administrator for the Office of International and Tribal Affairs Assistant Administrator for the Office of Administration and Resources Management Assistant Administrator for the Office of Environmental Information Regional Administrator, Region 7 (Kansas City, Kansas) Principal Deputy General Counsel Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 2 (New York, New York) Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 5 (Chicago, Illinois)
See also White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry
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