| Houston, Texas - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan has appointed Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee to the EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC). County Attorney Menefee will serve alongside 33 other local leaders from across the country—including San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg—to provide advice and recommendations to Administrator Regan on critical environmental issues. “I’m honored to join this group of local leaders and to tackle the environmental issues that most impact Harris County residents,” said County Attorney Menefee. “Harris County is uniquely positioned to contribute to the national conversation on environmental policy. We have neighborhoods with higher instances of cancer, asthma, heart diseases, and many other ailments. We’ve navigated plant explosions, water contamination issues, and just about every other major emissions event you can think of. My focus on this committee will be advocating for federal dollars to go directly to local governments, prioritizing environmental justice communities, and ensuring that everyone across Harris County has clean air and water. I look forward to working with the EPA and leaders from across the country.” The Harris County Attorney’s Office has focused heavily on environmental issues, including suing Texas’s environmental regulatory agency over concrete batch plant permitting, joining with the City of Houston to take legal action regarding cancer clusters in historically black neighborhoods, and seeking penalties from chemical companies in wake of plant explosions and other emissions events. Chartered in 1993 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Local Government Advisory Committee provides independent policy advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of environmental and related issues affecting local governments. Click here to see the EPA news release on County Attorney Menefee’s appointment. |