A Great Choice for Our Environment

By Cindy Luppi, New England Regional Director Today President Obama nominated Gina McCarthy to be the Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We couldn’t be more thrilled with the selection.  We’ve worked with Gina throughout her career in New England and she is a committed professional who has led the fight to protect our air and water.  We know she’ll do a great job as the head of as she EPA. McCarthy has served as Deputy Administrator for Air and Radiation under Administrator Lisa Jackson, helping develop critical clean air standards, including rules limiting mercury and air toxics pollution, cutting greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants and the historic fuel efficiency and emission standards for cars.  She also served in the Administrations of Governors William Weld (R) , Paul Cellucci (R), Jane Swift (R), and Mitt Romney (R) in Massachusetts and was head of the Department of Environmental Protection for Gov. Jodi Rell (R) in Connecticut. The President made a great choice today. Gina McCarthy’s commitment to non-partisan solutions to ensure our water is drinkable, air is breathable, and communities are healthy will be an strong asset as she faces a Congress that is hostile to environmental regulations. Her ability to work with both sides of the aisle will help make sure EPA is allowed to implement the vital programs needed to protect our environment. She is a particularly smart choice because of her unique skills and experience, and a rare ability to forge consensus among environmental health and business leaders.  Just one of her calling cards: she helped Massachusetts pioneer the nation’s first requirements for the clean up of its most polluting power plants – the so-called “Filthy Five”. Gina, Sonia Hamel and team succeeded by valuing community health and input,  by focusing on feasibility and the potential of new technology, and by being bold enough to include mercury and carbon dioxide requirements – the first time this was attempted by any state in the nation.  And through her persistence, she helped make sure that these requirements were well implemented, despite attempts by some of the plant owners to obstruct and stall at the expense of the breathing public. Our local community leaders and I sat around the table with her and many other stakeholders for days of negotiations and strategy discussions.  She not only forged consensus with everyone from concerned moms to lawyers representing polluters,  her commitment to mission, fairness  and her sharp sense of humor won the respect of all. And she then used her powers of persuasion to earn the sign off from those higher up the chain, including a series of Republican governors. So her on-the-ground experience especially qualifies her to take EPA into its next era of opportunities for progress. EPA has an ambitious agenda of planned actions that would restore Clean Water Act protection to small streams and wetlands, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and protect vulnerable populations from air pollution.  Gina McCarthy has the experience needed to lead EPA in this critical time, and the vision to fix our environment while also expanding jobs and our economy. We look forward to her confirmation and to working with her.