Blumenthal Meets With EPA Director-Nominee Gina McCarthy, Urges Senate to Quickly Confirm Former CT DEP Commissioner

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) met with former Connecticut DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy to discuss her nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Below is a photo of today’s meeting:

Yesterday, in a speech on the U.S. Senate floor, Blumenthal urged his colleagues to confirm McCarthy without delay.

“Gina McCarthy is an environmental protector for all seasons. Over the years that we worked together, she was a consistently tough, fair, and smart environmental law enforcer; and when she recognized the need to balance environmental activism with economic growth, she understood that the two goals are almost always mutually supportive – not exclusive.

“My former Connecticut colleague is well-respected in the environmental and business communities for her dedication to developing practical solutions to environmental challenges. She also knows how to reach across and work on the other side of the aisle as she spent nine of her 25 years in public service working for Republican governors.

“Sadly, petty, paralyzing, partisan gamesmanship in the Senate has stalled Gina McCarthy’s nomination to head the EPA – obstructionist tactics that deny the American people the type of environmental leadership they deserve. I urge my colleagues to move forward with her nomination so the EPA will have the kind of leadership that is so critically important to us at this time in our history.”  

Video of Blumenthal’s speech is here. Text of Blumenthal’s speech is here.