Schumer Backs Nichols to Lead EPA, Dismissing Confirmation Peril

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has urged President-elect Joe Biden to nominate Mary Nichols to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a sign of his confidence the California air pollution regulator could be confirmed by the closely divided chamber.

Schumer recently recommended Nichols to the Biden transition team, according to two people familiar with the conversations who asked not to be named discussing personnel matters.

Mary Nichols

Photographer: Dania Maxwell/Bloomberg

Concerns that Nichols would draw Republican opposition in the Senate have factored in to transition team deliberations, but Schumer’s support could assuage those fears. Nichols has been at the vanguard of American environmentalism for ...