If you’re looking for drama in the federal government, the EPA’s regional offices aren’t usually the place to go. But in recent months, a senior Democratic senator has been pushing to get a long-time ally and seasoned water official from Chicago over the EPA administrator’s own recommendation for the Midwest office. POLITICO’s Alex Guillen and Shia Kapos report on what’s at the heart of this dispute. Do you listen to a POLITICO podcast? Can’t miss an episode of POLITICO Energy? We want to hear from you! Take part in our 2021 podcast survey and provide valuable feedback on your favorite POLITICO podcast. Tell us what you like or what you would like to see in the future from the POLITICO Audio team! Your responses will help us improve our offerings and help us better tailor our podcast content to fit your needs. Find the survey at politico.com/podsurvey. Alex Guillen covers the EPA and environmental issues for POLITICO. Annie Snider covers environment issues for POLITICO and is the host of POLITICO Energy. Carlos Prieto is a Politico podcast producer. Raghu Manavalan is the host-producer of the Playbook Daily Briefing and a senior editor for POLITICO audio. Irene Noguchi is the executive producer of POLITICO’s audio department.