Center for Biological Diversity Statement on Nominations of Ernest Moniz for Energy Secretary, Gina McCarthy to Head EPA

Bill Snape, senior counsel with the Center for Biological Diversity, released the following statement today on the nominations of Ernest Moniz for energy secretary and Gina McCarthy for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

"America's energy policy must focus on averting catastrophic climate change, so we urge President Obama to chart a course based on science, not on cheap profits for industry. There must be an immediate rethinking of the current White House support for fossil fuel fracking, which releases massive amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and also creates other enormous pollution problems.

"We're concerned that, as energy secretary, Ernest Moniz may take a politically expedient view of harmful fracking and divert resources from solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources vital to avoiding climate disaster. We're also concerned that Moniz would be in a position to delay research into the dangers fracking poses to our air, water and climate."

"Gina McCarthy is an environmental professional who knows how to get the job done, but her biggest challenge may be her own boss. As head of the EPA, McCarthy's most important task must be moving quickly to combat climate chaos. President Obama's administration, particularly the Office of Management and Budget, must not hold her back from taking assertive action to address the climate crisis.

"If McCarthy uses the Clean Air Act to enforce science-based reductions in carbon pollution from power plants, airplanes and other key sources, she will likely be a success. She should also move to create a science-based national pollution cap for greenhouse gases.

"Americans always rise to the challenge when we know the actual end goal. The president has rightly acknowledged the threat of the climate crisis but we're still waiting for him to back up his rhetoric with a real plan of action. That can't come soon enough."