Gina McCarthy, President Biden’s chief climate adviser, says she will step down on Sept. 16, just weeks after the president signed a landmark climate bill that would slow the pace of global warming, following her plans. Two people familiar with the matter said Friday.
After nearly two years in office, spent trying to get climate change legislation through Congress, McCarthy departs on high.
The new law includes nearly $370 billion in tax dollars aimed at accelerating the nation’s transition from an economy based on oil, gas and coal to one powered by wind, solar and other clean energy sources. Includes incentives and programs above.
It is expected to reduce the country’s carbon emissions, which are responsible for climate change, to levels not seen since Lyndon Johnson took office. I hadn’t seen it or was frankly expecting it.
McCarthy, 68, has played a central role in unifying climate policy across federal agencies and increasing government support for wind and solar development, but in recent months he has It was widely expected that he would resign. She told her colleagues that the travel associated with her work was tiring and she had no intention of completing her four-year term as president.
When Mr. Biden signed the climate change bill last month, it was a natural turning point for Mr. McCarthy. She is expected to be replaced by Vice President Ali Zaidi, according to two of her administration officials who asked not to name her because she is not authorized to speak publicly.
“You know, I’ve been working on climate issues for decades,” McCarthy said in a recent interview. She said the bill would initiate “transformative change”.
A Massachusetts native with a distinctive Boston accent, McCarthy has served as environmental advisor to several Massachusetts governors, including current Utah Senator Mitt Romney. She served as Connecticut’s Environmental Commissioner before joining the Environmental Protection Agency as an Associate Administrator in 2009. In 2013, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to run the EPA, and for more than a decade she has helped shape the country’s policy to combat global warming.
During the 2020 presidential election, she inspired Biden’s campaign promises. Biden promised to do more to combat climate change than any leader in US history. After his election, he turned to her as the country’s first National Climate Advisor to bring this ambitious agenda to life.