The White House nominated Gina McCarthy, Connecticut’s former top environmental official, to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
McCarthy served as the commissioner of the state agency then known as the Department of Environmental Protection, under former Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. The agency is now the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP.
After leaving the agency, McCarthy became assistant administrator in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, leading the implementation Obama’s carbon and climate change strategies.
President Barack Obama nominated McCarthy Monday as EPA administrator, the top position at the agency. McCarthy still must be confirmed to the post by Congress. She will replace Lisa Jackson, who held the top environmental spot in Obama’s cabinet during all four years of his first term.
Gov. Dannel Malloy applauded McCarthy’s pick as top EPA administrator, calling her an important advocate for the environment.
“During her tenure as Connecticut’s Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Gina McCarthy was a fierce advocate of the state’s natural resources—her legacy of environmental protection continues to this day in the programs spearheaded by DEEP ,” Malloy said in a press release. “Connecticut’s loss has undoubtedly been the country’s gain—Gina’s tireless work to improve air quality and slow climate change has made an important impact in Washington and across the globe. I applaud President Obama on her nomination.”
