Mason will oversee EPA activities in Region 6, which includes Oklahoma, four surrounding states and 66 tribal nations.
Mason is a member of the Cherokee Nation and grew up in Cordell in western Oklahoma. Mason’s family has been in the state for five generations, according to the EPA’s appointment announcement.
During his first term, Trump appointed another Oklahoman, Ken McQueen, to the position. McQueen went on to serve as Oklahoma’s secretary of energy and environment, with Mason as deputy secretary.
Mason was also the director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s American Indian Environmental Office during the first Trump administration.
Oklahoma officials expressed excitement to work with Mason in this new capacity.
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director Rob Singletary said he appreciates Mason’s “smart and thoughtful approach to government regulation.”
“I am confident he will be an excellent leader for our region and will work to improve public health and the environment while also using balanced, science-based methods to ensure prosperous futures for current and future generations,” Singletary said in a statement.
Mason succeeds Earthea Nance. As director, Nance says she held more than 500 meetings with state, tribal and community leaders to discuss specific environmental issues. Her work at the agency paid special attention to hazard mitigation and environmental justice.
Mason said his priorities in the position are protecting human health while growing the economy.
“As someone with deep roots in this region, I am committed to working hard each and every day to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve by implementing the President’s agenda and the Administrator’s ‘Powering the Great American Comeback’ Initiative,” Mason said.
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