After a 136-day delay, caused more by policy disagreements and political infighting than concerns over her qualifications, Gina McCarthy was confirmed by the Senate as the new EPA Administrator on July 18. Now the pace of implementation of EPA’s regulatory agenda is likely to increase. In particular, McCarthy is expected to play a key role in putting President Obama’s climate change initiatives into action, with emphasis on regulatory efforts aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In the wake of the Senate’s deal on presidential nominations that lead to McCarthy’s confirmation, there is renewed optimism that the backlog of lower level appointments may start to clear. Of particular interest to the water community, Ken Kopocis’ nomination to head EPA’s Office of Water, which has been held up since 2011, is scheduled to come before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee this week.