Former PG&E Lawyer Takes Reins of EPA’s California Region (1)

The EPA announced Tuesday that longtime corporate oil and gas attorney John W. Busterud has been named the chief of the agency’s large West Coast region.

Busterud, the former senior director and managing counsel of PG&E Corp.’s environment and real estate law department from 1985 to 2016, will now oversee the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, and 148 federally recognized tribes.

He also takes the reins shortly after the dramatic departure of former Region 9 chief Michael Stoker, who was fired unexpectedly on Feb. 5.

The EPA later accused Stoker of incompetence ...