Nomination of Janet Garvin McCabe

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARPER. Madam President, the Senate has invoked cloture, and I just want to thank everybody who supported cloture on Janet McCabe's nomination to serve as Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

I rise now to urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of this outstanding nominee, because Janet McCabe is exactly the leader that Administrator Michael Regan and the rest of the EPA need right now as we tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the Agency and in our Nation's history.

She will do so as one who understands the challenges and opportunities of working as a director of an air program, within a State environmental agency, to create a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment--not just for the citizens of some communities but for all communities and all ZIP Codes in Indiana, but also for the industry throughout her State.

I stand before you today, as my colleagues sometimes call me, as a recovering Governor. I understand how difficult it can be to bring a genuine interest to hear all points of view, to a job where Agency actions have consequences in every home and in every business. Perhaps Janet McCabe's colleague, Fred Cate, vice president of research at the University of Indiana put it best in an interview in the IndyStar recently. I just want to quote him. This is what he said:

``The reason she will be great at EPA is the same reason she was superb here''. . . . ``It's her ability to get people behind a common vision and get them to do things and not just talk about them.''

Janet McCabe is a steady hand who has built a 30-year career of leadership in environmental protection. Her dedication and her know-how will be invaluable in protecting clean air and clean water, addressing the climate crisis, and realizing environmental justice for the most vulnerable among us.

So it is no surprise that she has garnered support from 48 leading environmental organizations. At the same time, anyone who has worked with Ms. McCabe knows that she is a hard-working, pragmatic Hoosier to the core. She works well with Democrats. She works well with Republicans and with Independents. And that is why she has the public support of nine former EPA Deputy Administrators and Acting Administrators, including four Republican former EPA Deputy Administrators who served in the Reagan administration and who served in the administration of George Herbert Walker Bush and who served in the George W. Bush administration.

Her professional experience includes service in both Federal and State government, and that includes impressive tenures in both Indiana and Massachusetts government agencies, as well as years of leadership experience at EPA.

Based on that experience, Ms. McCabe knows that in order for any Federal Agency to be successful, its leaders must work closely and collaboratively with State and local partners, no matter which party is in charge.

Her pragmatic and inclusive style has also inspired support of the electric power industry. The Edison Electric Institute, which represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies, enthusiastically supports Janet McCabe's nomination. This is an organization--listen to this--that speaks for companies that provide power to 220 million Americans. That is right--roughly two-thirds of all Americans.

Let me put it another way. Edison Electric Institute's members generate electricity for two-thirds of all Americans, and they have thrown their support behind the nomination of Janet McCabe for this post.

According to EEI president Tom Kuhn, he says Janet McCabe ``has a strong commitment to public service and a solid track record of engaging with diverse stakeholders, including industry, as demonstrated by her time at the helm of both the Air Program at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and EPA's Office of Air and Radiation.''

That is a quote.

Ms. McCabe has their support because she has demonstrated time and again that environmental and economic progress go hand in hand. Let me say that again. She demonstrated time and again that cleaner air, clean water, environmental progress, and economic progress go hand in hand. They are inextricably linked. That ethic has earned Ms. McCabe the support of the American Chemistry Council, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and the BlueGreen Alliance, which represents some of our largest labor unions.

Ms. McCabe knows that while working to protect clean air and clean water and address climate change, the Agency must seize the opportunity to protect and create good-paying jobs across our country. She understands that the environmental and climate challenges we face are not just a problem. They offer economic and competitive opportunity.

President Biden's American Jobs Plan embraces these principles, and Janet McCabe has the experience and she has the intelligence to work with her Agency colleagues to translate them into action at EPA. President Biden's American Jobs Plan embraces these principles, and Janet McCabe has the experience and the intelligence to work with her Agency colleagues to translate them into action at EPA.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers put it very well when they wrote last month, and this is their quote:

Ms. McCabe will bring the leadership and collaborative spirit needed to address difficult environmental challenges and improve regulatory processes, and ensure we can continue to build, power, and feed our country in an innovative and sustainable way.

Ms. McCabe will help ensure that everyone--everyone who has a stake in our environment and our economy--has a seat at the table. She has built a reputation of listening to everyone--everyone--addressing real economic concerns, making sure government policy helps people and communities at the local level.

Ms. McCabe embodies these values in her current role as director of Indiana University's Resilience Institute, where she works every day to help mayors and to help farmers and communities of all sizes and shapes prepare for and adapt to climate change.

I will borrow once again from Janet McCabe's colleague from the University of Indiana, Fred Cate, who said of her career success, and I quote him again:

``She understands that at the end of the day, if you don't bring along finance and industry and local buy-in, then we won't get things done.''

I couldn't have said it better.

As Deputy Administrator, Janet's role will be the equivalent of a chief operating officer. She will be primarily focused on EPA internal policies and procedures--the day-to-day running of the Agency--and will not play a significant role in crafting new public policies.

One of her key tasks will be to restore the Agency's organizational health, which suffered during the previous administration, as respect for science and career staff advice declined and morale deteriorated. There is no person better suited to overseeing this internal restoration than Janet McCabe. Under her leadership I have every confidence that EPA will recover and soar.

I am very grateful that Janet has agreed to serve her country again in this new leadership role, and I am grateful to her family for their willingness to share her again with all of us. Her personal integrity and work ethic is an inspiration to all public servants, and her willingness to engage all points of view is a boon to all who have strong interest in EPA's work.

So in closing, I want to urge my colleagues--all of our colleagues-- to vote to confirm her today so that she can put her robust talents to work for all the American people.

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