Several industry organizations chimed in about the nomination by President Barack Obama of Gina McCarthy as EPA Administrator. If approved by Congress, McCarthy would succeed former Administrator Lisa Jackson. Obama also nominated Dr. Ernest J. Moniz for Secretary at the Department of Energy (DOE). Join the debate!

The Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank, responded to the nomination. “Gina McCarthy has a long history of demonizing affordable energy and doing everything possible to shut it down. She also has a long history of making up fictitious facts to support her anti-energy ideology. McCarthy’s number-one priority at EPA will be enacting unprecedented restrictions on energy production and use that will further drive up energy prices. If Americans like dramatically rising gasoline prices and rapidly rising electricity prices, they are going to love Gina McCarthy,” said James M. Taylor, Senior Fellow for Environmental Policy, The Heartland Institute

“Germany, England, and several other countries have led the way in solar and wind power. The results are grim: skyrocketing electrical costs for consumers, energy poverty, and totally unreliable electricity systems that are kept working only by relying on fossil fuel plants or hydroelectric. By appointing Gina McCarthy as head of the EPA, the administration is demonstrating it does not care about the economic future of our children and grandchildren,” said Kenneth Haapala, Executive Vice President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP).

However, Novozymes, a provider of industrial enzymes for biofuels, endorses the selection. “Renewable fuel has put steel in the ground across the country, created hundreds of thousands of new jobs and is helping clean our air and water. We need a leader at EPA who understands these opportunities and challenges—and we're fortunate President Obama named Gina McCarty because she does,” said Adam Monroe, President of Novozymes North America. “Ms. McCarthy is one of our most vocal supporters: she knows the Renewable Fuel Standard is working and fuel is being made in states throughout America. We’re looking forward to working with her through the nomination process and as EPA Administrator.”

“We are also pleased that the DOE will be placed in the hands of Dr. Ernest Moniz, who has had a long record of accomplishment at MIT and policy experience at the federal level. He understands how the Department’s renewable energy programs allow the public and private sector to conduct cutting-edge science and research, leading to more jobs and investment in our economy.”

In February, Assistant Administrator McCarthy described her excitement in the future of cellulosic biofuels during a climate event held by Georgetown Law, according to Politico. She told attendees that issuing a Renewable  Identification Number, or RIN, for cellulosic biofuels was a “personal milestone” and said that success for cellulosic biofuels happening this year was a key win in creating renewable fuels. As Director of MIT’s Energy Institute, Ernest Moniz served as chair or co-chair on four major interdisciplinary studies on energy sources and has previously served as Undersecretary of Energy.