Former EPA chief to speak at June 3 Appalachian Energy Summit

Michael S. Regan, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 Appalachian Energy Summit at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on Appalachian State University’s Boone campus.

The event, hosted by App State’s Sustainability and Energy Management office, is free to the public. It will conclude with a moderated fireside chat.

Regan served as the 16th administrator of the U.S. EPA from 2021 to 2024. He has been recognized nationally and internationally for his leadership in environmental protection while supporting economic growth across multiple industry sectors.

As EPA administrator, Regan led a federal regulatory agency with more than 16,000 employees and an annual operating budget of more than $10 billion. He also oversaw more than $100 billion in investments focused on improving the health and resilience of American communities, while working to provide regulatory certainty to support job growth, global economic competitiveness, and investor confidence.

Before his nomination as EPA administrator, Regan served as the 17th secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Under Regan’s leadership, the department secured the largest coal ash cleanup legal settlement in United States history and led complex negotiations regarding the cleanup of the Cape Fear River.

Regan is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, making him the first EPA administrator to have graduated from a historically Black university.

Since its inception, the Appalachian Energy Summit has brought together faculty, staff and students from colleges and universities, along with energy managers, visionaries and government and industry leaders, to share ideas and implement processes designed to improve energy efficiency and sustainability across the University of North Carolina System, the state, and beyond.

The effort has resulted in $2.37 billion in avoided energy costs by the UNC System, North Carolina community colleges, and other state agencies since 2002-03, exceeding the target goal.

The 2026 Appalachian Energy Summit will include sessions on a variety of topics related to energy efficiency and sustainability, including affordable housing, mass timber construction, recycling and composting, and circular economies, as well as local tours.

“I look forward to highlighting and discussing passive building strategies at this year’s Appalachian Energy Summit, which could save the state millions of dollars per year in operating costs while lowering energy demand,” said Mike Kapp, director of sustainability and energy management at App State.

Parking is free on campus after 5 p.m. For a disability accommodation, visit odr.appstate.edu.

For more information, visit sustain.appstate.edu/initiatives/energy-summit/2026/.

— AKC