Changes afoot for leading US environmental roles

United States – US President Barack Obama has narrowed down the list of candidates for leading positions at the nation’s Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a White House official.

The two favourites selected by President Obama are Ernest Moniz, currently a physics and engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Gina McCarthy, who is an assistant administrator for air pollution at the EPA. Analysts have voiced their support for the pair, saying they will not only be able to pick up the broad approach laid out over the past four years but also have a much-needed ‘political touch’ that might counter ‘long-standing criticisms’ from opposing parties like industry lobbyists.

Together, Messrs Moniz and McCarthy would aid the president, for example, in his mission to combat the risks associated with climate change. The former would replace Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu while the latter would take over from Lisa Jackson, who was responsible for introducing the first standards on mercury pollution.

Source: Bloomberg