Meeting a New Leader at EPA

By Bob Wendelgass, President & CEO Yesterday, I was honored to be part of a small group of environmental leaders invited to meet with Gina McCarthy in her first week as the new EPA Administrator. She thanked us for helping her win confirmation. Her nomination was held up for 137 days by conservative Senators opposed to a strong EPA. The thousands of messages from Clean Water Action members and other concerned Americans let our Senators know that we weren’t going to stand for their obstruction of an incredibly qualified public servant like Gina McCarthy. She laid out three issues as her priorities for action, with climate coming in first. Number two was a bit of a surprise (and a welcome one)--reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act. She’s hoping that former Senator Lautenberg's bill provides an opportunity for improvement. The third issue she raised was, as she put it, "water, water, everywhere". She noted that people connect personally to their local stream or beach and that water will be one way that many people see and feel the impact of climate change. She also promised some answers within a few weeks on the future of the guidance and regulations dealing with the Waters of the US. Walking out of the meeting, I felt good about our role in helping Administrator McCarthy win confirmation and about the prospects for collaboration with EPA in the final 3 1/2 years of the Obama Administration. I suspect that we won't agree with everything EPA does, but we will definitely have a chance to make our case. Gina McCarthy understands that it takes groups like Clean Water Action to make change happen.  I expect that there will be lots of opportunities to work in partnership with EPA's staff and leaders to protect and improve our environment.