WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Susan Collins released the following statement today in support of Gina McCarthy for Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
“The EPA plays an important role in upholding our nation's landmark environmental laws that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink, and confirming the new Administrator is a responsibility I take seriously. The people of Maine have always been faithful stewards of our environment because we understand its tremendous value to our way of life.
“Ms. McCarthy’s experience as the head of EPA's Office of Air and Radiation and her prior posts under Governors of both parties in Connecticut and Massachusetts make her well qualified to head the EPA. I will vote for her confirmation to be Administrator.
“I spoke with Ms. McCarthy at length in March 2013 about several issues affecting Maine and was pleased with her responsiveness and familiarity with the scope of concerns facing New England states. In past dealings with Ms. McCarthy in her current post, I have been impressed with her willingness to listen and seek input from a variety of stakeholders, including industry, and for taking a more pragmatic approach to rulemaking.
“On one occasion, I engaged with Ms. McCarthy during a 2010 Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation of the Energy Star program I requested as the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. GAO found the program was unreliable and vulnerable to fraud. Ms. McCarthy was a willing and helpful ally in implementing much-needed and significant reforms to restore the program’s integrity.
“I also interacted with Ms. McCarthy when I led the fight in the Senate to force EPA to rethink its costly proposals to regulate emissions from boilers in order to reduce the onerous financial burdens on American manufacturers. Since the rules were first proposed, significant revisions have been made, and Ms. McCarthy’s office considered extensive analysis and data from all stakeholders to produce a far better and more balanced rule than its initial proposal. While these regulations will still be very costly for some manufacturers at a time when we are asking them to focus on growing and adding jobs, they are much better than the initial EPA proposals.
“I lacked confidence in the previous Administrator’s leadership. Too often we are seeing regulations proposed by this Administration that do not adequately take into account the effect on the economy or American jobs. I also share concerns about a lack of transparency at EPA and appreciate that Ms. McCarthy has committed to a more open agency with regard to scientific data, cost-benefit analysis, and legal actions.
“I have always rejected the false choice of pitting the environment against the economy because, in Maine, the environment is the economy. It is my sincere hope that Ms. McCarthy will lead a sea change in how EPA works with Congress, states, industry, and the public health and environmental community to ensure that the agency takes a rational approach to regulation that recognizes that strong environmental and public health protections do not have to come at the cost of growing our economy and creating jobs.”