WASHINGTON D.C. — The White House has confirmed that President Obama will nominate Gina McCarthy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). McCarthy currently acts as assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation and will replace Administrator Lisa Jackson, who resigned amid growing concern among some lawmakers about her use of alias email accounts to potentially avoid federal disclosure and transparency laws. IER President Thomas Pyle released the following statement in response to the McCarthy nomination:
“Today’s announcement that the president wants Gina McCarthy to serve as the next EPA administrator is a clear indication that the administration will continue a war on affordable energy. McCarthy’s record speaks for itself, and the degree to which she has helped implement the “crucifixion strategy” of former EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz must be fully explored.
“Throughout her career McCarthy has implemented policies that attempt to constrain the use of reliable energy sources. As the EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation, McCarthy has played a large role in the shuttering of coal-fired power plants around the country, which has resulted in tens of thousands of layoffs and permanent job losses.
“It appears the President is rewarding these efforts by increasing her ability to implement an ideological and political agenda. If confirmed as EPA administrator, McCarthy will continue the regulatory attack on oil, coal, and natural gas with the result that Americans will experience increasing energy costs and high unemployment rates.”
To read about the EPA’s most recent power plant closures, click here.
To read about the politicization of the EPA, click here.
###
