Gina Mccarthy News

The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled a plan to accelerate development of next-generation floating offshore wind farms by slashing the cost of the technology by 70% and setting a goal for it to power 5 million U.S. homes by 2035.The announcement was the latest in the White House's push to bolster the nation's fledgling offshore wind industry as part of its climate-change agenda.Wind turbines that float on the ocean's surface are an emerging technology necessary for projects off the coasts of California…

As part of his Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (EO 14008)—issued on the first day he took office—President Biden made significant commitments to renewable energy. These commitments include collaborating with multiple federal agencies in the United States and promoting critical industry support for the acquisition of electric vehicles for the federal fleet, as well as rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, the landmark international agreement signed in 2015 to limit global warming.

The Biden administration on Monday unveiled a goal to expand the nation’s fledgling offshore wind energy industry in the coming decade by opening new areas to development, accelerating permits, and boosting public financing for projects.The plan is part of President Joe Biden’s broader effort to eliminate U.S. greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change, an agenda that Republicans argue could bring economic ruin but which Democrats say can create jobs while protecting the…

President-elect Joe Biden touted the diversity of his incoming administration as he introduced former rival Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday as his choice for U.S. transportation secretary.Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate if he is approved.Appearing with Buttigieg in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said the 38-year-old would confront the task of upgrading America’s aging infrastructure and restoring what he called “our crumbling roads…

The U.S. oil refining industry's association is not opposed to lifting the country's 40-year-old ban on crude exports as long as the move is part of a bigger effort to lower barriers to trade, the group's new head said on Tuesday. "We're not opposed to lifting the export ban, but we would like to think there could be a broader discussion," about all trade barriers in petroleum markets, Chet Thompson, president of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), told reporters. Other trade barriers include the Jones Act, which requires ships servicing coastal businesses to be built in the United States and mostly staffed by U.S.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy visited the Port of Houston April 24 to highlight grants aimed at improving air quality. The port will receive about $900,000 in funding as part of EPA’s Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grant program for clean diesel projects at U.S. ports. “We celebrate that the Port of Houston is growing and thriving, while still reducing pollution,” Administrator McCarthy said. “As the leading port in the nation for environmental stewardship…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $5 million in grant funding for clean diesel projects at U.S. ports. The selected projects in California, Oregon, New Jersey and Texas will improve the air quality for people who live and work near the ports, and reduce emissions of the greenhouse gasses that lead to climate change, EPA said. “EPA and ports have a shared interest in working together to find practical solutions to reduce pollution for the benefit of workers and communities,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said at a conference hosted by American Association of Ports Authorities, where she announced the grant recipients.

Port authority CEOs and senior staff from throughout the Western Hemisphere, along with maritime industry leaders, influencers and policymakers are expected to converge on Washington, D.C., April 20-21, to attend the 2015 Spring Conference of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) – the collective and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas. The annual event will feature discussions on the energy industry, cybersecurity, port cooperation, economic impacts, infrastructure funding…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Pentair's Aquatic Systems with a 2015 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award for its outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by manufacturing energy-efficient products and educating consumers about energy efficiency. Pentair's accomplishments will be recognized in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2015. Pentair, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2013 is being honored for its leadership in manufacturing products that earn the ENERGY STAR, the government-backed symbol of energy efficiency. This is Pentair's second consecutive Partner of the Year award. In order for pool pumps to earn the ENERGY STAR certification, the pool pumps must be at least 30-72 percent more energy efficient than typical pumps.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that two U.S. Areas of Concern, Deer Lake in the Lake Superior basin and White Lake in the Lake Michigan basin, have been removed from the binational list of toxic hotspots that were targeted for cleanup in the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. After decades during which only one U.S. Area of Concern was delisted, federal agencies have accelerated cleanup actions during the past five years by using Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informs that Administrator Gina McCarthy has released a new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan that lays out steps that federal agencies will take during the next five years to protect water quality, control invasive species and restore habitat in the largest surface fresh water system in the world. McCarthy, who chairs the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, released the plan at a meeting of Great Lakes Mayors in Chicago. “The new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan lays out the steps we need to take to get us closer to the day when all Great Lakes fish will be safe to eat, all beaches will be safe for swimmers and harmful algal blooms will not threaten our drinking water supplies,” said McCarthy.

Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy said on Thursday that newly proposed rules to slash carbon emissions from U.S. power plants will cut electricity bills after 2030 by forcing power plants to become more efficient. Speaking at a forum on energy efficiency in Washington, which she likened to "preaching to the choir," McCarthy took issue with critics' claims that the EPA's clean power plan will cause consumer electricity prices to skyrocket, in part by forcing older coal-fired plants to close. The rule, subject to a 120-day comment period, will steer investment toward renewable energy  and energy  efficiency companies, she said.

The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Barack Obama a victory on Tuesday by upholding a federal environmental regulation requiring some states to limit pollution that contributes to unhealthy air in neighboring states. By a 6-2 vote, the court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acted reasonably in requiring 28 states to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which can lead to soot and smog. Writing for the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called the EPA rule a cost-effective way to allocate responsibility for emission reductions among upwind states, and that the EPA need not consider each state's proportionate responsibility for the emissions in question.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of up to $20 million in FY 2012 grant funding to establish clean diesel projects aimed at reducing harmful pollution from the nation's existing fleet of diesel engines and improving air quality and Americans' health. In addition to these grants, approximately $9 million will be available through direct state allocations. EPA estimates that for every $1 spent on clean diesel funding up to $13 of public health benefit is realized. "Technology has evolved to make diesel engines more efficient and cleaner than ever," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of up to $20 million in FY 2012 grant funding to establish clean diesel projects aimed at reducing harmful pollution from the nation's existing fleet of diesel engines and improving air quality and Americans’ health. In addition to these grants, approximately $9 million will be available through direct state allocations. EPA estimates that for every $1 spent on clean diesel funding up to $13 of public health benefit is realized. "Technology has evolved to make diesel engines more efficient and cleaner than ever," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. This is the first competition since the Diesel Emission Reduction Program, also known as DERA, was reauthorized in 2011.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with the Coalition for Responsible Transportation and the Environmental Defense Fund, is launching a new initiative to protect public health and the environment and promote sustainable economic growth by reducing pollution from thousands of short-haul trucks that service the nation’s ports. The new EPA SmartWay initiative will green the nation’s supply chain by reducing harmful diesel emissions from dray trucks – large diesel trucks that are widely used in port facilities to haul freight from cargo ships to nearby local distribution points. “U.S. ports generate jobs and are critical to our nation’s economy,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

For the second time this year, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with the support of Hamburg Süd, has been able to generate important data on possible contaminant reductions in marine shipping. In late August 2010, Low Sulphur Marine Gas Oil (LSMGO), a fuel with a sulphur content of 0.1%, was used on the container ship Cap San Lorenzo – deployed in the service between U.S. Gulf and Caribbean/South America East Coast –while the vessel was entering and departing the port of Santos. According to the EPA, it was the first test of this kind to take place in Santos.

EPA is awarding $9m in Recovery Act funds to support the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program in the Houston-Galveston area. The Recovery Act grant will spur innovative clean diesel projects that protect air quality and create and retain jobs through an innovative financing program that will promote the purchase of new, cleaner or retrofitted vehicles and equipment at the Port of Houston. The Recovery Act funds will work to reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days, and many other health impacts every year. “Recovery Act dollars will help the Port better protect air quality and the health of nearby communities,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.

Strong opposition by Conn. Gov. State Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy delivered Rell's statement, criticizing the proposed security zone around the floating barge as the taking of property by a private company with federal approval. Nearly 200 people attended the hearing at Mitchell College. Their focus was the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's draft report that found the project will have minimal impact on the environment and public safety if certain guidelines for construction are followed. The AP said many opponents worried that Connecticut has been stripped of its jurisdiction and that Long Island Sound would be industrialized.