Three months after accusing outgoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Midwest Regional Administrator Debra Shore of government overreach, former Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel has been given her job.

The announcement was made Monday in a U.S. EPA news release.

It quoted U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin as saying that President Trump has chosen Ms. Vogel to serve as administrator of the EPA’s Region 5 office in Chicago, which has jurisdiction over Ohio, Michigan, and much of the Great Lakes region.

Ms. Vogel did not respond to a Blade request for an interview.

“Anne is settling in and isn’t scheduling any interviews yet,” Danielle Kaufman, a U.S. EPA press officer, said.

On Jan. 14, during former Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore’s final week on the job, Ms. Vogel and other Ohio EPA officials accused the federal agency of government overreach during a public hearing at Camp Perry near Port Clinton.

Ms. Shore was installed into that job by former President Joe Biden.

The impetus for that hearing was a dispute over Port Clinton’s wastewater discharge permit.

Ms. Shore maintained that the Ohio EPA, by allowing the city up to 1,000 micrograms per liter of phosphorus in its discharge, was letting Port Clinton pollute Lake Erie with too much of that nutrient, which helps grow algae in the lake.

The EPA said in an April 24, 2024, letter it was blocking the state’s approval of Port Clinton’s wastewater discharge permit because it allows up to 1,000 micrograms per liter of phosphorus from March through July.

The federal agency said in that letter it was demanding a limit of only 21 micrograms per liter.

Ms. Vogel, who signed the permit, said the U.S. EPA was being unreasonable and was setting up other Lake Erie shoreline communities, including Toledo, for permit limitations that would be difficult, if not technologically impossible, to achieve.

Both she and Ms. Shore went to Port Clinton to testify in person at that hearing. So did multiple other Ohio EPA officials from Columbus, as well as Port Clinton Mayor Michael Snider, and that city’s attorney, Louis McMahon, of McMahon DeGulis LLP in Cleveland.

In one of its slides, the Ohio EPA stated it believed the hearing “was rushed with clear political motivations” and said the federal EPA’s objection “isn’t really about Port Clinton, but U.S. EPA’s policy preference for Ohio.”

As regional administrator, Ms. Vogel will oversee the U.S. EPA’s work across the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and 37 Tribal nations, the agency said.

She will also manage EPA’s Great Lakes National Program.

“I am glad to welcome Anne to our EPA team,” U.S. EPA Administrator Zeldin said. “Through her leadership running Ohio EPA and following the East Palestine incident, Region 5 and the Great Lakes National Program have the right leader at the right time. I am confident that her deep knowledge and vast experience will be vital to implementing President Trump’s agenda across Region 5.”

In her prepared statement, issued by the U.S. EPA, Ms. Vogel said it is a “tremendous honor to join Administrator Zeldin in powering the great American comeback across the Midwest.

“I’ve been fortunate to have already worked with the Region 5 team in Ohio, and I look forward to working alongside them to implement the administration’s environmental priorities and ensure clean air, water and land for all, while fostering economic growth and environmental stewardship throughout the Great Lakes region,” she said.

Ms. Vogel served as Ohio EPA director since December 2022 until recently. She was appointed to that job by Gov. Mike DeWine.

Previously, she served as policy director for Governor DeWine and worked for more than a decade at American Electric Power Co. Vogel holds a law degree from Capital University and an MBA from Ohio State University, the U.S. EPA said.

Others quoted in the federal agency’s news release included Mr. DeWine, who said Ms. Vogel “served Ohio with integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to public service.”

The governor said she has helped communities across Ohio clean up contaminated properties, and said she has been a leader in Ohio’s effort to improve access to clean drinking water.

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio), who was lieutenant governor for much of the time Ms. Vogel served as Ohio EPA director, said she “has the right experience and a passion for protecting our water, land and air.”

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway lauded her efforts to help his community recover from pollution caused by the historic Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment in that eastern Ohio village.

Ohio Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Adam Sharp said Ms. Vogel “made it a point to work closely with the state’s agriculture community to tackle tough issues.”

In a corresponding move, Governor DeWine on Monday announced he is nominating John Logue to be the next Ohio EPA director.

The nomination is subject to Ohio Senate confirmation.

Mr. Logue has served in multiple leadership capacities at the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, including administrator/chief executive officer and deputy administrator.

“John Logue is a strong leader with a proven track record of serving Ohioans and leading important agencies,” the governor said. 

First Published April 14, 2025, 10:42 p.m.