Biden climate tsar Gina McCarthy expected to step down in May

WASHINGTON – The White House Nation climate advisor Gina McCarthy is expected to step down next month, a person familiar with her decision confirmed.

McCarthy originally planned to end her service by the end of February, but she agreed to stay a little longer, the person said. She is expected to return to her hometown of Boston.

In a tweet late Thursday, McCarthy countered the reports.

“Reports that I have resigned as President Biden’s National Climate Adviser are simply incorrect. We’ve made a lot of progress over the past 14 months, but we have a lot more work to do – and I’m still excited about the opportunities ahead,” she said.

McCarthy will leave as the Biden administration confronts the reality that its prospect of major federal action on climate change – which only a few months ago looked very promising – has almost completely disappeared. .

The White House earlier on Thursday had not confirmed that McCarthy planned to leave.

“We have no personnel announcements to make,” White House spokesman Vedant Patel said. “Gina and her entire team continue to be focused on delivering on President Biden’s clean energy agenda.”

Reuters first report that McCarthy would resign.

McCarthy, who served as a manager of the Environmental Protection Agency during the Obama administration, was expected to oversee the implementation of the historic spending package worth more than half a trillion dollars on climate change within the framework. President Joe Biden’s Building Back to the Better framework, which collapsed after negotiations with Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., faltered.

Democrats in the Senate and the White House have engaged in informal talks on reinstating the climate provisions as part of a more restrictive package or as a standalone measure. But time is quickly running out before the midterm elections make it politically impossible to pass Congress.

McCarthy’s departure will closely follow the departures of other top-level administration officials.

In February, the White House’s top science adviser, Eric Landerresigned under pressure, said in a resignation that he had “downgraded” his subordinates.

The White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zient announced last month that he will resign this month. Vice President Kamala Harris’ national security adviser, Nancy McEldowney, also announced last month that she would be stepping down.

It’s unclear who could replace McCarthy. A leading candidate is Ali Zaidi, McCarthy’s deputy, who also holds the climate and energy positions in Obama’s White House.

Zo Richards contribute.

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