West Plains, Missouri – On Friday, January 13, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the appointment of 15 new and seven returning members to its Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC). The announcement was made at a public meeting of the Commission, where members presented their recommendations regarding the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Among those appointed were Willow Springs, Missouri Alderman Kimberly Rich and Mayor Protem. The City of Willow Springs has released a statement regarding Rich’s appointment to LGAC.
“The City of Willow Springs is very fortunate to have City Councilors and Mayor Kim Rich representing our small city at the national level with the Environmental Protection Agency. We value and know that Kim will represent the needs of our small community and, furthermore, provide the City with an understanding and knowledge of the future goals that the EPA has set. It’s always best represented by being involved with all regulatory bodies, and we congratulate and thank Kim for doing just that.”
The 34-member LGAC is evenly split between women and men, 14 of whom are people of color, and includes representatives from 29 different states and US territories. EPA Administrator Michael Regan also appointed 13 new members and his five returning members to LGAC’s Small Communities Advisory Subcommittee.
Recommendations focused on climate pollution reduction grants include direct funding to local and tribal governments, prioritizing the decarbonization of buildings, and supporting meaningful engagement with disadvantaged communities in climate planning. and coordinating the implementation of the IRA across the federal family. Regarding the IRA Heavy-Duty Vehicles program, LGAC recommended that the EPA support the decarbonization of government vehicles and streamline the application. The recommendations will be finalized and sent to Regan administrators later this month.
Members were selected from over 80 highly qualified candidates. Choice of one year and her two year term LGAC Charter Achieve balance and diversity in terms of geographic location, gender, ethnicity, and stakeholders.
New and returning (indicated by *) LGAC members and their affiliations are:
• Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey*
• Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut
• Honorable Sharon Bloom, Mayor, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Mr. Gary Brown, Director of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Michigan*
• Kimberly duBuclet, District Water Reclamation Commissioner, Cook County, Illinois
• Ms. Miki Esposito, Associate Director of Public Works, County of Los Angeles
• The Honorable Sarah Fox, Trustee, Vancouver, WA
• Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Jonathan Grieder, Trustee, City of Waterloo, Iowa
• Brenda Howerton, County Commissioner, Durham County, North Carolina
• The Honorable Deana Holiday Ingraham, Mayor, East Point, Georgia*
• Heather Kimball, Hawaii County Assessor
• The Honorable Ann Mallek, Supervisor, Albemarle County, Virginia
• Honorable Rachel May, Senator from Syracuse, New York*
• The Honorable Christian Menefee, County Attorney, Harris County, Texas
• Honorable Douglas Nichols, Mayor of Yuma, Arizona*
• Ron Nirenberg, Mayor of San Antonio, Texas*
• The Honorable David Painter, Commissioner of Clermont County, Ohio
• Mary Lou Pauly, Mayor of Issaquah, Washington
• Whitford Remer, Sustainability and Resilience Officer, Tampa, Florida
• The Honorable Satya Rhodes-Conway, Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin*
New and returning (indicated by *) SCAS members and their affiliations are:
• Vincent DeSantis, Mayor of Gloversville, New York*
• Mr. Kevin Dumas, Town Manager, Mansfield, MA
• Dave Glatt, Environmental Quality Director, ND*
• Mayor Jonathan Goddes of Glenwood Springs, Colorado
• The Honorable Daniel Guzman, Tribal Councilor, Oneida Nation, Wisconsin*
• Velma Jenkins, Mayor, Shuqualak, MS
• Meleesa Johnson, Director of Solid Waste Division, Wausau, Wisconsin
• Denis Koch, Deputy Director, Public Works and Engineering, Juneau, AK
• Rey Leon, Mayor of Huron, California
• The Honorable Ann Mallek, Commissioner, Albemarle County, Virginia*
• Tyler Palmer, Deputy City Superintendent, Moscow, Idaho
• James Perkins, Mayor of Selma, Alabama
• The Honorable Hattie Portis-Jones, Mayor of Protem, Fairburn, Georgia*
• The Honorable Greg Puckett, County Commissioner, Mercer County, Virginia
• The Honorable Kimberly Rich, Alderman and Mayor Pro Tem, Willow Springs, Missouri
• Kevin Shropshire, Divisional Director, Rockledge, Florida
• The Honorable Sophie Swope, Councilman, Bethel, AK
• Michele Zolezi, Town Vice President, Manchester Township, NJ
