Gina McCarthy

Gina McCarthy
Official portrait, 2022
1st White House National Climate Advisor
In office January 20, 2021 – September 16, 2022
President	Joe Biden
Deputy	Ali Zaidi
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ali Zaidi
13th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
In office July 18, 2013 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	Bob Perciasepe
Preceded by	Lisa Jackson
Succeeded by	Scott Pruitt
Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for Air and Radiation
In office June 2, 2009 – July 18, 2013
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Jeffrey Holmstead
Succeeded by	William Wehrum
Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
In office November 10, 2004 – June 2, 2009
Governor	Jodi Rell
Preceded by	Arthur J. Rocque
Succeeded by	Amey Marella
Personal details
Born	Regina McCarthy (1954-05-03) May 3, 1954 (age 70)^[citation needed] Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Children	3
Education	University of Massachusetts Boston (BA) Tufts University (MS)

Regina McCarthy (born May 3, 1954^{[citation needed]}) is an American air quality expert who served as the first White House national climate advisor from 2021 to 2022. She previously served as the thirteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2013 to 2017.^[1]

A Massachusetts native, McCarthy holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts Boston and Tufts University. She was a civil servant in the Massachusetts state government, holding various environmental roles and serving as an environmental advisor to the Governor of Massachusetts. She served as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection from 2004 to 2009 before joining the EPA in 2009.

On March 4, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated McCarthy to replace Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator. Confirmation hearings started on April 11, 2013. On July 18, 2013, she was confirmed after a record 136-day confirmation process, becoming the face of Obama's global warming and climate change initiative.^[2][3][4]

In early 2020, McCarthy became president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

On December 18, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would appoint McCarthy as the first White House national climate advisor, where she would advise Biden on domestic climate change policy and lead the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. As a presidential appointee, she joined his administration on January 20, 2021. McCarthy stepped down from her role on September 16, 2022.^[5]

Early life and education

Born in Brighton, Boston,^[6] on May 3, 1954,^{[citation needed]} McCarthy was raised in Dorchester and Canton, Massachusetts.^[7][8][9] She has Irish ancestry, and grew up in a working-class family.^[9] She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Anthropology. She later attended Tufts University, where she received a Master of Science combining Environmental Health Engineering with Planning and Policy in 1981.^[9][10]

Early career

McCarthy visiting a Missouri farm in 2014

McCarthy started her health and environment career in 1980, serving as the city of Canton's health agent.^[9] In 1985, Governor Dukakis tapped her to serve on a state hazardous waste safety council.^[9] She held several top positions in the civil service of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including undersecretary for policy for Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs from 1999 to 2003 and Deputy Secretary of the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development from 2003 to 2004.^{[citation needed]}

McCarthy has worked on environmental issues at the state and local levels and has developed policies on economic growth, energy, transportation and the environment.^[10] She has served as environmental adviser to five Massachusetts governors, including former Governor Mitt Romney.^[9]

On November 10, 2004, Connecticut governor Jodi Rell appointed McCarthy as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.^[11] In that role she developed and implemented the first regional policy to trade carbon credits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.^[9][12][13] She stepped down in 2009 to join the Obama administration.^[14]

On March 16, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated McCarthy to serve as assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. She was confirmed by the Senate on June 2, 2009, and served until her confirmation as EPA administrator in 2013.^[15]

EPA Administrator

Nomination

McCarthy at 2014 meeting

On March 4, 2013, Obama nominated McCarthy to replace Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator.^[16][12] According to some observers, Obama's selection of McCarthy confirmed his seriousness about battling climate change. Daniel Fiorino, director of the Center for Environmental Policy at American University, said: "Her nomination signals that the president really wants to deliver on his State of the Union objectives to take serious action on climate change."^[17]

Regarding speculation that her appointment would affect Obama's decision on the Keystone XL Pipeline, Fiorino stated that this wouldn't affect the dynamics of the Keystone decision significantly as other considerations are paramount, but added, "She knows air and climate issues very well and she's a very strong environmentalist." The EPA is one of the federal agencies that advised the Obama administration on the proposed pipeline.^[17]

Confirmation

Confirmation hearings started April 11, 2013.^[18]

After the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved McCarthy's nomination in a vote along party lines on May 16,^[19] the nomination was stalled for a month on the Senate floor by John Barrasso of Wyoming.

In the interim, Bob Perciasepe served as the EPA's acting administrator.^[20] David Vitter, the ranking Republican on the committee, posed 600 of a total 1,100 questions to McCarthy. The committee Republicans demanded responses from McCarthy on five "transparency requests."^[20]

The delayed nomination resulted in the longest period that the agency was without a leader. Christine Todd Whitman, a former Republican governor of New Jersey and EPA administrator under President George W. Bush, stated: "It's not about [McCarthy], it's about the agency... Republicans lost the [presidential] election and they have to realize that this is the president's choice of nominee. They can go after the president, but Gina McCarthy should get an up-and-down vote."^[21] On July 18, 2013, the Senate confirmed McCarthy as the thirteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency by a vote of 59–40, largely along party lines.^[4]

On September 11, 2015, twenty-six U.S. representatives introduced a resolution impeaching McCarthy. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and died there.^[22][23]

Tenure

Administrator Gina McCarthy at Portage Lake Glacier, Alaska, August 26, 2013

On May 27, 2015, McCarthy finalized a rule under the Clean Water Act which proposed a new detailed and inclusive definition of "waters of the United States".^[24] Thirteen states sued, and U.S. Chief District Judge Ralph R. Erickson issued an injunction blocking the regulation in those states.^[25]

In a separate lawsuit, on October 9, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Judge David McKeague, joined by Judge Richard Allen Griffin stayed the rule's application nationwide; judge Damon Keith dissented.^[26] Congress passed a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act overturning the "WOTUS" rule,^[27] but President Obama vetoed the measure.^[28]

On June 25, 2015, McCarthy finalized the Clean Power Plan under the Clean Air Act, seeking to reduce coal use pursuant to the Paris Agreement.^[29] Challengers failed to get the regulation stayed by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, but on February 9, 2016, the Supreme Court of the United States voted 5–4 to grant the stay, the first time the Supreme Court had ever stayed a regulation prior to lower court review.^[30]

On March 17, 2016, McCarthy and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder testified before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding the Flint water crisis.^[31] Snyder apologized for the state's mistakes.^[31] McCarthy, however, insisted the EPA had done nothing wrong and that "there is no way my agency created this problem"; she was at times shouted down by outraged members of Congress.^[31] In October 2016, the EPA's inspector general concluded that the EPA had wrongfully delayed issuing an emergency order regarding Flint.^[32]

Employment outside government

In 2017, McCarthy joined Pegasus Capital Advisors, a private equity firm, where she serves as an operating advisor focused on sustainability and wellness investments.^[33]

In late May 2018, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health announced the formation of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment with McCarthy as its director.^[34][35] In January 2020, she was named chair of its board of advisors.^[36]

McCarthy was also a Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the School of Public Health. She taught a course there in the Department of Environmental Health titled, "Environmental Leadership: Integrating Science, Public Policy, and Political Rhetoric". She was the School's 2017 Commencement speaker.^[37] On November 6, 2017, she was appointed Professor of Public Health Practice.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2019, McCarthy was appointed president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, effective early 2020.^[38][39]

McCarthy explains why climate change is intersectional in the Biden administration.

Biden administration

On December 18, 2020, President-elect Biden presented McCarthy as his choice to become the first White House national climate advisor, head of the White House Office of Climate Policy.^[40] McCarthy serves as Biden's chief advisor on domestic climate change policy. The position, which will have its own staff, will be a part of the White House Office.^[41][42] McCarthy said she was initially reluctant to join the administration until Biden adopted a broad view of climate change. She said that when Biden as a candidate for president "made the connection between climate and health and environmental and racial justice, and he framed it in terms of what needed to be done after the pandemic for job growth" she was persuaded and "energized".^[43]

In June 2022, McCarthy urged tech companies to censor the spread of misinformation regarding climate change, saying "The tech companies have to stop allowing specific individuals over and over again to spread disinformation," and "We need the tech companies to really jump in."^[44]

On September 2, 2022, the White House announced that McCarthy will step down as Biden's top climate advisor on September 16 and be replaced by Ali Zaidi.^[45][46]

Personal life

McCarthy is married to Kenneth McCarey. During her stint at the EPA, her husband lived in Massachusetts, but would often join her for several weeks at a time in Washington. They have three adult children. She is a fan of the Barefoot Contessa cooking show.^[9]

References

1. Obama, Barack (March 4, 2013). "Remarks by the President in Personnel Announcements". whitehouse.gov. Archived from the original on January 24, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2013 – via National Archives.
2. Smith, Sandy (July 18, 2013). "Gina McCarthy Confirmed as EPA Administrator". EHS Today. Cleveland. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
3. McCumber, David. EPA's Gina McCarthy under scrutiny Archived November 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. San Francisco Chronicle, February 21, 2013; retrieved February 22, 2013.
4. Tracy, Tennille. Senate Confirms McCarthy as Head of EPA Archived August 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Wall Street Journal, July 18, 2013; retrieved July 19, 2013.
5. Friedman, Lisa (September 2, 2022). "Gina McCarthy, Biden's Top Climate Adviser, to Step Down Sept. 16". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
6. "HEARING ON THE NOMINATION OF GINA McCARTHY TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY". Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
7. Gina McCarthy (October 2, 2019). "Environmental Insights Interview" (PDF). Environmental Insights (Interview). Interviewed by Robert Stavins. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Environmental Economics Program. Retrieved February 8, 2024. I grew up just south of Boston. My family is originally from Dorchester. So when I was a young kid we moved out to Canton, Massachusetts, which was a few miles south of that.
8. Valencia, Crystal (June 1, 2015). "EPA Chief Gina McCarthy to UMass Boston Grads: Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable". UMass Boston. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
9. Bravender, Robin. "If EPA's Air Chief Loves a Brawl, She's Come to the Right Place". New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
10. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation; retrieved February 22, 2013. Archived May 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
11. "Governor Rell: Governor Rell Appoints Massachusetts Woman New Commissioner of DEP". www.ct.gov. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
12. Mason, Jeff; Rampton, Roberta (February 20, 2013). "Obama settles on EPA, Energy Department nominees: source". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
13. Smith, Sandy (March 7, 2013). "Obama on EPA Nominee Gina McCarthy: 'I'm confident that she's going to do an outstanding job leading the EPA". EHS TODAY. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
14. Alexander Soule (September 18, 2009). "Rell nominates DEP chief". Westfair Communications. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
15. "PN182 - Nomination of Regina McCarthy for Environmental Protection Agency, 111th Congress (2009-2010)". www.congress.gov. June 2, 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
16. "Gina McCarthy Gets EPA Head Nomination From Obama". Huffington Post. March 4, 2013. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
17. CBC News (February 21, 2013). What will Obama's 'green quarterback' mean for Keystone XL? Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; retrieved February 23, 2013.
18. John M. Broder (April 11, 2013). "Environmental Questions Take Back Seat at Hearing for E.P.A. Nominee". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
19. Bernstein, Lenny (May 16, 2013). "Senate committee approves Obama's nomination of Gina McCarthy to head EPA". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
20. Eilperin, Juliet (May 29, 2013). "Is blocking Gina McCarthy at EPA a pyrrhic victory for Republicans? It just might be". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
21. Fifield, Anna (July 9, 2013). EPA nominee Gina McCarthy a victim of Washington's toxic politics Archived September 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Financial Times; retrieved July 10, 2013.
22. Reilly, Mollie (September 9, 2015). "GOP Congressman Wants To Impeach EPA Chief Gina McCarthy". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
23. Henry, Devin (September 9, 2015). "GOP lawmaker looks to impeach EPA chief". The Hill. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
24. Davenport, Coral (May 28, 2015). "Obama Announces New Rule Limiting Water Pollution". The New York Times. p. A14. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
25. Gershman, Jacob (August 28, 2015). "After Court Defeat, EPA Presses Forward With Water Rule in Some States". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
26. Gershman, Jacob (October 9, 2015). "Appeals Court Blocks EPA Water Rule Nationwide". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
27. S.J.Res. 22, 114th Congress (2015).
28. Cama, Timothy (January 21, 2016). "Senate fails to override Obama veto". The Hill. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
29. Recent Regulation: The Clean Power Plan Archived December 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, 129 Harv. L. Rev. 1152 (February 10, 2016).
30. Liptak, Adam; Davenport, Coral. "Supreme Court Deals Blow to Obama's Efforts to Regulate Coal Emissions". The New York Times. No. February 10, 2016. p. A1. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
31. Goodnough, Abby (March 18, 2017). "Michigan Governor Tells Congress He Was Misled on Flint Water". The New York Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
32. Bosman, Julie (October 21, 2016). "E.P.A. Waited Too Long to Warn of Flint Water Danger, Report Says". The New York Times. p. A19. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
33. "Environmental Leader Gina McCarthy Joins Pegasus Capital as Operating Advisor". Business Wire. June 1, 2017. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
34. "Gina McCarthy, former U.S. EPA Administrator, launches C-CHANGE at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health". News. May 30, 2018. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
35. Stendahl, Max. "Former EPA head Gina McCarthy to lead new climate center at Harvard". Boston Business Journal. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
36. "PEOPLE: Gina McCarthy, John Kerry tapped for Harvard climate board". www.eenews.net. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
37. "Commencement 2017: Gina McCarthy, former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency". Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. May 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
38. Eilperin, Juliet. "Obama's former EPA chief takes the helm of environmental group that's sued Trump nearly 100 times". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
39. "NRDC Announces Gina McCarthy as President & CEO". NRDC. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
40. Friedman, Lisa (December 19, 2020). "Biden Introduces His Climate Team". New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
41. Friedman, Lisa (December 15, 2020). "Biden to Name Gina McCarthy, Former E.P.A. Chief, as White House Climate Coordinator". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
42. "Biden To Name Gina McCarthy, Former EPA Chief, As Domestic Climate Coordinator". NPR.org. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
43. Davenport, Coral (April 20, 2021). "Biden Is Pushing a Climate Agenda. Gina McCarthy Has to Make It Stick". New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
44. German, Ben (June 9, 2022). "Top Biden aide prods big tech to crack down on climate change misinformation". Axios. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
45. Williams, Aime (September 2, 2022). "Biden's top climate adviser Gina McCarthy to step down". Financial Times. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
46. Nilsen, Ella (September 2, 2022). "Biden taps Clinton campaign manager Podesta to implement climate spending in landmark law". CNN. Retrieved September 2, 2022.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

Political offices
Preceded by Lisa Jackson	Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 2013–2017	Succeeded by Scott Pruitt
New creation	White House National Climate Advisor 2021–2022	Succeeded by Ali Zaidi