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Regina McCarthy (born May 3, 1954) is an American
air quality Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...
expert who served as the first
White House national climate advisor The White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy (also known as the Climate Policy Office) is an office within the White House Office that is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It is headed by the Assistant to th ...
from 2021 to 2022. She previously served as the thirteenth
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is thus responsible for enforcing the nation's Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as numerous other enviro ...
from 2013 to 2017. A
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
native, McCarthy holds degrees from the
University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a Public university, public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus Un ...
and
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
. She was a civil servant in the Massachusetts state government, holding various environmental roles and serving as an environmental advisor to the
Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...
. She served as commissioner of the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. It ...
from 2004 to 2009 before joining the EPA in 2009. On March 4, 2013, President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
nominated McCarthy to replace Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator. Confirmation hearings started April 11, 2013. On July 18, 2013, she was confirmed after a record 136-day confirmation process, becoming the face of Obama's
global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
and
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
initiative.Tracy, Tennille
Senate Confirms McCarthy as Head of EPA
, ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', July 18, 2013; retrieved July 19, 2013.
In early 2020, McCarthy became president and CEO of the
Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bo ...
(NRDC). On December 18, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced that he would appoint McCarthy as the first White House national climate advisor, where she would advise Biden on domestic climate change policy and lead the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. As a presidential appointee, she joined his administration on January 20, 2021. McCarthy stepped down from her role on September 16, 2022.


Early life and education

Born in
Brighton, Boston Brighton is a former town and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of Brighton. Initially Brighton was part of Cambridge, and known as "L ...
, on May 3, 1954, McCarthy was raised in Canton, and Dorchester, Massachusetts. She has
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
ancestry, and grew up in a
working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
family. She graduated from the
University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a Public university, public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus Un ...
in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Social Anthropology Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...
. She later attended
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
, where she received a Master of Science combining Environmental Health Engineering with Planning and Policy in 1981.


Early career

McCarthy started her health and environment career in 1980, serving as the city of Canton's health agent. In 1985, Governor Dukakis tapped her to serve on a state hazardous waste safety council. She held several top positions in the
civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
, including undersecretary for policy for Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs from 1999 to 2003 and Deputy Secretary of the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development from 2003 to 2004. McCarthy has worked on
environmental issue Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on th ...
s at the state and local levels and has developed policies on economic growth, energy, transportation and the
environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation
retrieved February 22, 2013.
She has served as environmental adviser to five
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
governors, including former Governor
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
. On November 10, 2004,
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
governor
Jodi Rell Mary Carolyn "Jodi" Rell (née Reavis; born June 16, 1946) is an American former Republican politician and the 87th governor of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. Rell also served as the state's 105th lieutenant governor of Connecticut. Rell was C ...
appointed McCarthy as commissioner of the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. It ...
. In that role she developed and implemented the first regional policy to trade carbon credits to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...
from power plants. She stepped down in 2009 to join the
Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
. On March 16, 2009, President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
nominated McCarthy to serve as assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. She was confirmed by the Senate on June 2, 2009, and served until her confirmation as EPA administrator in 2013.


EPA Administrator


Nomination

On March 4, 2013, Obama nominated McCarthy to replace Lisa Jackson as EPA administrator. According to some observers, Obama's selection of McCarthy confirmed his seriousness about battling climate change. Daniel Fiorino, director of the Center for Environmental Policy at
American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
, said: "Her nomination signals that the president really wants to deliver on his
State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditio ...
objectives to take serious action on climate change." Regarding speculation that her appointment would affect Obama's decision on the
Keystone XL Pipeline The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned in 2010 and owned by TC Energy and as of 31 March 2020 the Government of Alberta. It runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Albert ...
, Fiorino stated that this wouldn't affect the dynamics of the Keystone decision significantly as other considerations are paramount, but added, "She knows air and climate issues very well and she's a very strong
environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
." The EPA is one of the federal agencies that advised the Obama administration on the proposed pipeline.


Confirmation

Confirmation hearings started April 11, 2013. After the Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment and for studying matters concerning environmental protection and resource conservation and utili ...
approved McCarthy's nomination in a vote along party lines on May 16, the nomination was stalled for a month on the Senate floor by
John Barrasso John Anthony Barrasso III ( ; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Wyoming State ...
of
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
. In the interim,
Bob Perciasepe Robert Perciasepe is an American former government official who currently serves as a senior adviser of the nonprofit Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, following his role as President of the organization. He served as the Deputy Administ ...
served as the EPA's acting administrator.
David Vitter David Bruce Vitter (born May 3, 1961) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and politician who served as United States Senator for Louisiana from 2005 to 2017. A Republican, Vitter served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 1999. ...
, the ranking Republican on the committee, posed 600 of a total 1,100 questions to McCarthy. The committee Republicans demanded responses from McCarthy on five "transparency requests." The delayed nomination resulted in the longest period that the agency was without a leader.
Christine Todd Whitman Christine Temple Whitman (née Todd; born September 26, 1946) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration o ...
, a former Republican governor of New Jersey and EPA administrator under President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
, stated: "It's not about cCarthy it's about the agency... Republicans lost the
residential A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family residen ...
election and they have to realize that this is the president's choice of nominee. They can go after the president, but Gina McCarthy should get an up-and-down vote." On July 18, 2013, the Senate confirmed McCarthy as the thirteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency by a vote of 59–40, largely along party lines. On September 11, 2015, twenty-six U.S. representatives introduced a resolution impeaching McCarthy. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and died there.


Tenure

On May 27, 2015, McCarthy finalized a rule under the
Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the responsibiliti ...
which proposed a new detailed and inclusive definition of "
waters of the United States Waters may refer to: *A body of water *Territorial waters *Waters (name), a surname *Waters (band), an American band *Waters (magazine), ''Waters'' (magazine), a financial technology magazine *Waters Corporation, an American corporation that produ ...
". Thirteen states sued, and U.S. Chief District Judge
Ralph R. Erickson Ralph Robert Erickson (born April 28, 1959) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Education and career Born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, Erickson rece ...
issued an injunction blocking the regulation in those states. In a separate lawsuit, on October 9,
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of ...
Judge
David McKeague David William McKeague (born November 5, 1946) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Education and career McKeague received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michi ...
, joined by Judge
Richard Allen Griffin Richard Allen Griffin (born April 15, 1952) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Previously, he was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. Griffin was first nominated to the United Stat ...
stayed the rule's application nationwide; judge
Damon Keith Damon Jerome Keith (July 4, 1922 – April 28, 2019) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern Distr ...
dissented. Congress passed a
joint resolution In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires passage by the Senate and the House of Representatives and is presented to the President for their approval or disapproval. Generally, there is no legal differ ...
under the
Congressional Review Act The Congressional Review Act (CRA) is a law that was enacted by the United States Congress under House Speaker Newt Gingrich as Subtitle E of the Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 () and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on Marc ...
overturning the "WOTUS" rule, but President Obama vetoed the measure. On June 25, 2015, McCarthy finalized the
Clean Power Plan The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating anthropogenic climate change (global warming) that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. The final version of the plan was unvei ...
under the Clean Air Act, seeking to reduce coal use pursuant to the
Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...
. Challengers failed to get the regulation stayed by the
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (in case citations, D.C. Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. It has the smallest geographical jurisdiction of any of the U.S. federal appellate cou ...
, but on February 9, 2016, the
Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
voted 5–4 to grant the stay, the first time the Supreme Court had ever stayed a regulation prior to lower court review. On March 17, 2016, McCarthy and Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder previ ...
testified before the
United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...
regarding the Flint water crisis. Snyder apologized for the state's mistakes. McCarthy, however, insisted the EPA had done nothing wrong and that "there is no way my agency created this problem"; she was at times shouted down by outraged members of Congress. In October 2016, the EPA's
inspector general An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...
concluded that the EPA had wrongfully delayed issuing an emergency order regarding Flint.


Employment outside government

In 2017, McCarthy joined Pegasus Capital Advisors, a private equity firm, where she serves as an operating advisor focused on sustainability and wellness investments. In late May 2018,
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...
announced the formation of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment with McCarthy as its director. In January 2020, she was named chair of its board of advisors. McCarthy was also a Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the School of Public Health. She taught a course there in the Department of Environmental Health titled, "Environmental Leadership: Integrating Science, Public Policy, and Political Rhetoric". She was the School's 2017 Commencement speaker. On November 6, 2017, she was appointed Professor of Public Health Practice. In November 2019, McCarthy was appointed president and CEO of the
Natural Resources Defense Council The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit international environmental advocacy group, with its headquarters in New York City and offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bo ...
, effective early 2020.


Biden administration

On December 18, 2020, President-elect Biden presented McCarthy as his choice to become the first
White House national climate advisor The White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy (also known as the Climate Policy Office) is an office within the White House Office that is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It is headed by the Assistant to th ...
, head of the White House Office of Climate Policy. McCarthy serves as Biden's chief advisor on domestic climate change policy. The position, which will have its own staff, will be a part of the
White House Office The White House Office is an entity within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The White House Office is headed by the White House chief of staff, who is also the head of the Executive Office of the President. The s ...
. McCarthy said she was initially reluctant to join the administration until Biden adopted a broad view of climate change. She said that when Biden as a candidate for president "made the connection between climate and health and environmental and racial justice, and he framed it in terms of what needed to be done after the pandemic for job growth" she was persuaded and "energized". In June 2022, McCarthy urged tech companies to censor the spread of misinformation regarding climate change, saying "The tech companies have to stop allowing specific individuals over and over again to spread disinformation," and "We need the tech companies to really jump in." On September 2, 2022, the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
announced that McCarthy will step down as Biden's top climate advisor on September 16 and be replaced by Ali Zaidi.


Personal life

McCarthy is married to Kenneth McCarey. During her stint at the EPA, her husband lived in Massachusetts, but would often join her for several weeks at a time in Washington. They have three adult children. She is a fan of the
Barefoot Contessa ''Barefoot Contessa'' is an American cooking show that premiered November 30, 2002, on Food Network, and is currently the oldest show on the network's daytime schedule. Hosted by celebrity chef Ina Garten, each episode features Garten assembli ...
cooking show.


References


External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Gina 1954 births Living people 21st-century American politicians Administrators of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Articles containing video clips Biden administration personnel Obama administration cabinet members Politicians from Boston State cabinet secretaries of Connecticut Tufts University School of Engineering alumni University of Massachusetts Boston alumni People from Canton, Massachusetts Women members of the Cabinet of the United States Harvard School of Public Health faculty 21st-century American women 21st-century American women politicians