Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday named Liane Randolph as the next chairman of the California Air Resources Board, the clean-air agency that has shaped environmental policy across the U.S.
Randolph, 55, is in line to succeed Mary Nichols, 75, the retiring chairman who has led CARB since 2007 and is on the short list to lead President-elect Joe Biden’s EPA next year. The position requires state Senate confirmation.
“Cleaner air is essential for California’s families and Liane Randolph is the kind of bold, innovative leader that will lead in our fight against climate change with equity and all California’s communities at heart,” Newsom said in a statement Wednesday.
Randolph, a Democrat, has been a commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission since 2015. Before that, she was deputy secretary and general Counsel at the California Natural Resources Agency from 2011-14.
Nichols, as the state’s top environmental official, forged ahead with measures to address air quality problems, including a lawsuit led by California and 22 other states over the Trump administration’s rollback of Obama-era fuel efficiency standards. She also finalized binding agreements this year with major automakers to cut vehicle emissions in the state, defying the Trump administration’s push to loosen standards.
More recently, she has been leading the agency as it develops regulations to mandate that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and light trucks are zero-emission by 2035 — an ambitious target set by Newsom in September.
She was named one of Automotive News’ 100 Leading Women in the North American auto industry for 2020.
“Through her extraordinary tenure as chair, Mary has done more than any other Californian to boldly reduce air pollution through both innovation and tenacity,” Newsom said in the statement. “Thanks to Mary and her excellent staff, CARB now stands as a beacon for how to lead with responsible public policy toward cleaner air.”