WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, welcomed Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Shawn Garvin to a hearing of the Environment and Public Works Committee Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety focusing on ozone pollution standards set by the Clean Air Act.

“Delaware, more than most other states, relies on the Clean Air Act to protect our air from pollution emitted hundreds of miles away,” said Senator Carper. “I’m pleased to welcome Secretary Garvin to help illustrate just how important ozone standards are for families in the First State. We can’t afford to roll back the health-based standards we have today, and I am grateful to Secretary Garvin and Governor John Carney for their continued work to advocate for the health of every Delawarean.”

“The Clean Air Act is about protecting public health and the quality of life of our citizens,” said Secretary Garvin. “Any efforts to weaken the Act will take us backwards in our responsibility to protect the people of Delaware and this great Nation from the public health and economic harms of air pollution.  These two amendments move us in the wrong direction.”

Secretary Garvin’s full testimony from yesterday can be found here, and his full bio can be found below:

Shawn Garvin

Shawn Garvin leads Delaware’s state agency tasked with protecting and managing the state’s natural resources, protecting public health, providing outdoor recreational opportunities and educating Delawareans about the environment.

Secretary Garvin's career in intergovernmental affairs spans more than 20 years at the federal and local levels. In November 2009, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Administrator of Region III for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), overseeing the agency’s work in the Mid-Atlantic, which includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.

Before he was named Regional Administrator, Secretary Garvin served as the senior state and congressional liaison for EPA Region III, providing counsel to agency leadership on complex public health and environmental matters. Prior to his service with the EPA, he served as an aide to then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden, and also was Executive Assistant to former New Castle County Executive Dennis Greenhouse.

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