Biden eyes Gina McCarthy as domestic ‘climate czar’: report

President-elect Joe Biden is considering former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Gina McCarthy for a position overseeing climate policy across the federal government, Reuters reported Monday.

McCarthy would, if selected, become Biden’s domestic “climate czar” and have oversight authority over the Biden administration’s efforts to direct federal agencies to rethink how their work affects or contributes to climate change. The role would not require a Senate confirmation vote.

Her role would be similar to that of former Secretary of State John Kerry, who was selected to run Biden’s global climate agenda in recent weeks. The president-elect is also expected to name a nominee to run the EPA in coming days.

Biden’s transition team did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill.

McCarthy led the EPA from 2013 to 2017 and served as architect of the Clean Power Plan. Since leaving office, she has worked as the president of the Natural Resources Defense Counsel, a major environmental advocacy group.

Reached for comment the NRDC noted McCarthy has previously denied any interest in joining the Biden administration. The organization recently received a $100 million grant from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to expand their work.

“Gina’s been clear she’s dedicated to advancing NRDC’s work,” an organization spokesperson said.

Other possible candidates for the climate policy position include Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D), former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), New York’s deputy secretary for Energy and Environment Ali Zaidi and John Podesta, who held a similar role under former President Obama. 

Biden has made addressing climate change a major part of his agenda and has vowed to return the U.S. to the Paris climate agreement, an ambitious global plan to limit emissions.