What’s it like to make some of today’s most important environmental and public health decisions? Go behind the scenes with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for a view of a typical day serving the American people. Read more about Administrator McCarthy.
June 2, 2014: Clean Power Plan Announcement
On Monday, the EPA announced its Clean Power Plan, a proposal which for the first time cuts carbon pollution from existing power plants, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the United States. The proposal will protect public health, move the United States toward a cleaner environment and fight climate change. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at how EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy spent the historic day.
9:14 am - EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy begins her day with some last minute preparation in advance of announcing the Clean Power Plan and its flexible, achievable reductions to carbon pollution. (1/15)
9:26 am - McCarthy shares a laugh with some of the staff that helped craft the proposal to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants. (2/15)
9:43 am - John Podesta, Counselor to the President, stopped by McCarthy’s office to congratulate her and the EPA team on the key step in working to implement the White House’s Climate Action Plan. (3/15)
9:48 am - With help from her chief speechwriter, Kevin Samy, McCarthy fine tunes her remarks minutes before she is set to speak. (4/15)
10:11 am - The pen can indeed prove to be mighty. (5/15)
10:16 am - Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe and McCarthy enjoy a lighter moment on an otherwise hectic and historic day. (6/15)
10:37 am - The Speech. (7/15)
11:00 am - Making it official. (8/15)
11:46 am - There were huge amounts of interest surrounding EPA’s Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants. Here, McCarthy talked with NBC’s Anne Thompson for a story that aired that evening on the network’s nightly news program. (9/15)
12:01 pm - Taking a quick break between media interviews, McCarthy catches up with EPA Chief of Staff Gwen Keyes Fleming and EPA Public Affairs Director Tom Reynolds. (10/15)
12:11 pm - Another interview. Here McCarthy prepares to speak with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. (11/15)
1:06 pm - Following her speech McCarthy continued the agency’s robust outreach in explaining the new proposal to reduce carbon pollution. (12/15)
2:48 pm - From North Lawn of the White House, following a conference call with President Obama hosted by the American Lung Association. (13/15)
3:09 pm - Flowers from McCarthy’s family. (14/15)
6:23 pm - Wrapping up the day with a final interview, this time with NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill. (15/15)
April 22, 2014: Earth Day
Hoping to celebrate Earth Day and highlight the importance of environmental stewardship, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy spent the day in Boston talking about the importance of climate change with young adults, engaging with businesses leaders, and even fulfilling a lifelong dream of throwing out the first pitch at Fenway Park.
11:30 am – EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy starts her Earth Day in Boston with a cup of her favorite coffee, always black. (1/12)
11:32 am – McCarthy reviews briefing materials with staff for the day’s events ahead. (2/12)
11:41 am – Before her first event to celebrate Earth Day, McCarthy gets a quick behind-the-scenes tour of the New England Aquarium from Bud Ris, President and CEO. (3/12)
12:01 pm – Saying hello to Climateens, a group of young adults engaged in the issue of climate change sponsored by the New England Aquarium. (4/12)
12:31 pm – An all-star lineup turned out for the Earth Day event at the Boston Aquarium. McCarthy was joined by Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and Senator Ed Markey, along with dozens of Bostonians interested in doing more on climate change. (5/12)
12:48 pm – McCarthy and Markey share a laugh when talking about their long careers in protecting the environment and the importance of Earth Day. (6/12)
1:13 pm – McCarthy and Moniz sit down for an interview with the Boston Globe, who was writing a day in the life feature on the two officials. (7/12)
2:44 pm – McCarthy, Moniz and EPA Regional Administrator Curt Spalding lead a discussion with the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, business and civic leaders charged by Mayor Walsh to help implement the city's Climate Action Plan. (8/12)
6:47 pm – Taking in the huge crowd on hand for the Red Sox vs Yankees game, McCarthy prepares for her first pitch in recognition of Earth Day. (9/12)
6:59 pm – "Put me in coach." (10/12)
7:01 pm – Taking the mound, with the famed Green Monster in the background. (11/12)
7:07 pm – First pitch! (12/12)
April 4, 2014: A Typical Day
What’s it like to make some of today’s most important environmental and public health decisions? Go behind the scenes with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for a view of a typical day serving the American people.
7:24 am - EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy arrives for work in the morning with her trusty backpack – full of briefing materials, policy papers and speeches – in tow. (1/12)
7:51 am - In her office, McCarthy’s support for her beloved Boston Red Sox is apparent. She recently attended an event at the White House to celebrate the World Series champions. (2/12)
8:07 am - McCarthy reviews upcoming remarks with speechwriter Kevin Samy. The papers on her desk cover the broad gamut of public health and environmental issues the agency oversees on a daily basis. (3/12)
8:40 am - Each morning McCarthy meets with senior staff in her office to review the issues of the day ahead. Here, she and EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe confer on an upcoming policy announcement. (4/12)
10:44 am - McCarthy leads a meeting with senior EPA officials from the Office of Air and Radiation to discuss progress on the proposal to reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants, a key pillar in the President’s Climate Action Plan. (5/12)
11:47 am - As part of her mission to broaden the conversation about public health and environmental protection, McCarthy has expanded the agency’s Office of Public Engagement.
Here she meets with Rosemary Enobakhare and Amanda Aguirre to discuss ongoing outreach efforts. (6/12)
Here she meets with Rosemary Enobakhare and Amanda Aguirre to discuss ongoing outreach efforts. (6/12)
12:39 pm - As part of an ongoing effort to make progress in every American community, McCarthy meets with agency officials to discuss mitigation and resilience efforts for cities and states to deal with a changing climate. (7/12)
12:57 pm - It’s not all hard work. McCarthy shares a lighter moment during the course of the day. (8/12)
1:04 pm - Off to another meeting. McCarthy is always connected to staff and other Administration officials, with her Blackberry rarely far from reach. (9/12)
1:10 pm - McCarthy enters the West Wing for a meeting with White House officials. Given the focus on climate change, and the key role EPA plays on the issue, McCarthy spends considerable time coordinating with the president’s senior advisors. (10/12)
2:26 pm - McCarthy is known to stroll the halls of EPA during the day and drop in on staff to discuss various policy matters and connect with employees throughout the building. (11/12)
5:58 pm - Although she keeps a small apartment near EPA headquarters, almost every weekend McCarthy travels back to Boston, to her home and her husband. (12/12)