CAROLINE BREHMAN / NYT/POOL

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Michael Regan as the nation’s 16th Environmental Protection Agency administrator, tasking the former North Carolina regulator with rebuilding a rule-making body that saw scientists and staffers leave by the hundreds under the Trump administration.

Regan, 44, the first Black man to run the agency in its 50-year history, was confirmed with support from every Democrat and 16 Republicans, ultimately securing his job with a 66-to-34 vote.

He takes the reins at a historic turning point, where class and race are increasingly understood as corollaries to how much disease-causing pollution Americans face throughout their lives.

A vast team of Cabinet officials responsible for dealing with climate policy will likely be welcomed help. Regan faces an agency reeling from four years of upheaval. Compared to the start of 2017, the EPA’s payroll was nearly 900 employees shorter by the time former President Donald Trump left office in January.

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