Markey Hails Fellow Massachusetts Environmental Leader Who Will Help Fight Climate Change, Protect Public Health, Air, Water, Land
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Edward J. Markey (DMass.) today wholeheartedly backed the nomination of Gina McCarthy to be the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ms. McCarthy was a top environmental official in Massachusetts and Connecticut before serving as EPA's Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation in President Obama's first term. The vote to confirm her as the head of the EPA is expected later today.
Senator Markey issued the following statement today, also inserting it into the Senate record:
"I support Gina McCarthy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency because she has the intellectual muscle, the necessary vision, and the unwavering dedication to protect our climate, our air, our water, and our land for this generation and for many more to come. When Gina McCarthy is confirmed later today as the head of the EPA, our kids will be healthier for it, our climate will be safer for it, and we will all be able to breathe a little easier knowing she is on the job.
"Gina McCarthy understands that a healthy environment and a robust economy go hand in hand, because she is from Massachusetts, where we are at the leading edge of creating jobs while curbing pollution.
"Because Republicans in Congress have so far thwarted legislation to act to address climate change, President Obama has said that he will use his administration's existing legal authority to cut emissions from power plants, reduce emissions through energy efficiency in buildings, and continue with his program to increase fuel economy standards in our cars, trucks, and now heavy duty vehicles. There is no better person to implement these efforts than Gina McCarthy, because this effort began in Massachusetts with the landmark Supreme Court case Massachusetts vs. EPA.
"It was that legal decision that allowed President Obama to accelerate the fuel economy program first passed by Congress in 2007 which I authored in the House, and to push for the additional steps he announced last month.
"As we continue to work to advance Congressional action on climate change, Gina McCarthy will provide the leadership we need over at the EPA to reduce pollution. My hope is President Obama and Ms. McCarthy's leadership on this issue will force reluctant Republicans and intransigent industries who have resisted change to come back to the negotiating table. I still believe a legislative solution that decreases pollution and increases energy innovation is the best path forward, and is still achievable.
"Gina McCarthy will also continue EPA's long tradition of protecting our air from dangerous smog and other pollution, our water from mercury and other toxins, and our land from harmful chemicals and other dangerous substances."
