Sen. Boxer’s ideal EPA candidate seems to describe Gina McCarthy

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) isn’t outright naming her top choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

But her description of a preferred candidate fits Gina McCarthy, EPA’s top air pollution regulator, very, very nicely.

McCarthy, the agency’s assistant administrator for air and radiation, is believed to be among the top candidates for nomination to replace outgoing EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

Boxer, whose committee will vet the eventual nominee, told reporters Tuesday that “there is someone I really like very much, who I hope is being considered, who is a deputy now.”

Asked if it is current Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe, Boxer said no. Asked if it is McCarthy, Boxer said “no comment” and added: “There are a lot of people who would be really good. I am looking for someone strong in the area of air.”

McCarthy formerly headed Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection, and before that held a senior role in Republican Mitt Romney’s administration when he was governor of Massachusetts.

Boxer said that experience working for a GOP governor “would always be a plus.”

“Bringing bipartisanship to the table is good, bringing knowledge to the table is good, and bringing a woman to the table is really good too,” Boxer said in the Capitol.