Doug Benevento

Doug Benevento has had a long-standing career focusing on energy and the environment and has served the country as a government employee for over 15 years. Currently, he is the President’s nominee to be the Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and is fulfilling the duties of that job as the Agency’s Associate Deputy Administrator.

Before his nomination as Deputy Administrator, Mr. Benevento was the Regional Administrator for EPA Region 8, which comprises much of the mountain west. During his time as Regional Administrator, he led the region in addressing important issues. Specifically, he worked on developing solutions to wintertime ozone exceedances in the Uintah and Ouray Basin in Indian Country in Utah and developed a Memorandum of Understanding with Wyoming outlining state and federal responsibilities under the State’s environmental self-audit law to bring certainty to the regulated community. During his tenure as Regional Administrator, the Region expedited the cleanup of residential properties contaminated with lead near the Colorado Smelter Superfund site in Pueblo, Colorado, to reduce the timeline to cleanup neighborhoods down to 4 to 5 years from the 10 plus year plan that was previously in place. Similarly, he and his team accelerated cleanup of the Butte and Anaconda Superfund sites in Montana by setting deadlines, overseeing achievement of those deadlines, and making decisions that resolved long-standing issues.   

Mr. Benevento previously served as the Director of Environmental Programs and subsequently, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. During his time at the Department, he was responsible for bringing all of Colorado into compliance with all federal health-based air quality standards. He also worked to expedite clean-up and closure of the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant just outside of Denver. In partnership with EPA, DOE, the local community, and the congressional delegation, funding for the site was expedited, and cleanup occurred decades ahead of schedule, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. He also worked to fully fund the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and to increase immunization rates in Colorado.

Before joining the government, Mr. Benevento worked as an executive at Xcel Energy, a publicly regulated gas and electric utility, and prior to that, he practiced law at Greenberg Traurig. Mr. Benevento started his career on Capitol Hill working for Congressman and then Senator Allard, and he also worked on the House Agriculture Committee.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a law degree from the University of Denver.

He still resides in Highlands Ranch, Colorado with his wife, Gwen, and their two daughters, Anna and Kate.

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