The U.S. Senate has confirmed Gina McCarthy as Environmental Protection Agency administrator, according to Bloomberg news.
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. Most recently, she has served the EPA as assistant administrator.
According to Bloomberg, McCarthy directed EPA rulemaking in President Obama’s first term, forcing coal-fired power plants to reduce mercury emissions, among other initiatives.
McCarthy’s nomination had been held up in the Senate since March.
The Sierra Club praised McCarthy’s confirmation in a statement this afternoon while criticizing the Senate for the holdup.
“While we are pleased that McCarthy has finally been confirmed, there is simply no good reason that it should take 137 days for a qualified, experienced, bi-partisan nominee like her to be confirmed,” the environmental nonprofit said.
