Senate Confirms Trump’s Pick to Lead EPA’s General Counsel

Sean Donahue was confirmed by the Senate as the EPA’s top lawyer on Thursday in a 51-46 vote.

In his new job, Donahue inherits a raft of thorny legal problems already underway.

The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to unwind at least a dozen emissions rules, reconsider its 2007 endangerment finding, take back federal grants issued under the Biden administration, and shrink its workforce—all of which either have been litigated already or will be soon.

The EPA Office of General Counsel offers legal advice to the agency’s political leadership, liaises with Congress on legislation, and works with the Justice Department’s ...