A recent article carried by Reuters News Service reports that President Obama favors Gina McCarthy to replace Lisa Jackson as Administrator of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. In December, Jackson indicated a desire to step down from the position.
McCarthy currently heads EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. Prior to going to EPA, she led State environmental agencies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. These state agency positions included her involvement with the Northeastern states' Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. That, coupled with her current role in air policy and regulation at EPA, may signal that there is substance to the President's promise in his second inaugural speech to address climate change. Regardless, over her career, McCarthy worked for both Democrat and Republican governors. If she is nominated and confirmed for the position of EPA Administrator, this background may prove helpful in dealing with a Congress deeply divided over issues like greenhouse gas regulation.
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