The Trump administration has appointed Josh F.W. Cook as head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Office, overseeing federal environmental policy in California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 Tribal Nations. Cook, who lives in Chico (Butte County), is a government and tribal affairs consultant, according to his LinkedIn account, and has held a handful of government positions. He spent a decade as chief of staff for former Republican State Sen. Brian Dahle, R-Bieber (Lassen County) and has served on advisory committees for the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. His resume also includes helping with the emergency response to California’s deadly Camp Fire in 2018.

Other EPA news:

• E&E News by Politico: Newsletter: California’s adversary has a face
• E&E News by Politico: Longtime California GOP legislative staffer to lead EPA Region 9
• The San Diego Union-Tribune: EPA stands firm: It will not review Tijuana River Estuary for Superfund status
• ABC10 (San Diego): Imperial Beach mayor’s EPA superfund request for Tijuana sewage crisis denied