U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that President Donald J. Trump appointed Josh F.W. Cook as EPA’s Pacific Southwest (Region 9) Regional Administrator. Regional Administrator Cook will have stewardship to implement and enforce federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 Tribal Nations.   “Josh Cook is the right person we need to lead Region 9. He understands the unique nature of the Pacific Southwest and will be a great addition to the EPA team,” said Administrator Zeldin. “Josh’s talent working with state and local partners will be paramount to power the great American comeback across our regions.”  Before joining the EPA, Regional Administrator Cook was an Advisor to the Tribal Council of the Mooretown Rancheria of Concow Maidu Indians, where he designed a decades-long large-scale forest resiliency initiative through government-to-government agreements with Tribes, National Parks, and multiple U.S. Forests in California and Nevada. Previously, Regional Administrator Cook served as Chief of Staff to the Minority Caucus in the California Legislature. His previous environmental service includes appointments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior Resource Advisory Councils and tenure as a City Planning Commissioner.  Cook is a Veteran of the California State Guard and an Associate Professor and lecturer at the University of Southern California. He earned an Associate’s Degree in Languages from Butte College, a Bachelor’s of Science from Charter Oak State College and a Master’s of Science from Cal State University East Bay. Regional Administrator Cook and his wife Robin have been married 32 years and are the parents of five children and five grandchildren. They reside in Chico, California, where they actively engage in their church and community.