Liane Randolph Appointed to CARB Chair

California Governor Newsom announced the nomination of Liane Randolph to chair the California Air Resources Board (CARB), replacing Mary Nichols who is stepping down at the end of her term. Randolph, a UCLA Law graduate, is currently a Commissioner on the California Public Utilities Commission and has worked for years in California state government.

CARB is a world-leading agency that has led the fight nationally and internationally to prevent climate change and to reduce air pollution that harms the health of our children and communities. The nomination of Ms. Randolph brings to CARB a leader with years of experience, service, and a strong commitment to clean energy. As the first African American chair of the agency, her nomination also adds much-needed diversity to the Board.  

This is a critical time for CARB. There are many important issues before it, including meeting our climate and carbon-neutrality goals, transitioning the transportation sector to zero-emissions mobility, and coordinating with the incoming Biden administration to undo the damage wrought under the Trump Administration. In addition, mobile sources such as diesel trucks, regulated by CARB, are major contributors to the poisonous air quality we have seen this year in the South Coast regional air basin and elsewhere. And it is well-known that poor communities of color feel the worst effects of air pollution and climate change.

NRDC is committed to working with Ms. Randolph, CARB, CARB staff, and our community partners on these critical issues. We congratulate outgoing Chair Mary Nichols on her unparalleled accomplishments, including developing the world’s first comprehensive suite of climate policies and programs, leading the state in its defense against the Trump Administration, enacting the world’s first Advanced Clean Car standards and now, the Advanced Clean Truck program, and her years of public service. We thank outgoing Board members John Gioia, Judy Mitchell, and Alex Sherriffs for the years of dedicated service to the people of California. We look forward to being a resource for the state Senate through the confirmation process, and to working with Commissioner Randolph and the other board nominees, Kracov, Hurt, Balmes and Pacheco-Werner, all promising candidates with technical expertise and leadership to lead the agency into a cleaner and more equitable future.