President-elect Joe Biden has selected Indiana University environmental law and policy expert Janet McCabe to be the deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Biden-Harris Transition team announced the nomination on Friday.
McCabe joined the EPA under President Barack Obama's administration in November 2009. She first served as the principal deputy to the Office of Air's assistant administrator and eventually took over as the acting assistant administrator from July 2013 through January 2017.
During her initial tenure with the EPA, McCabe helped develop the "Clean Power Plan" and worked with state and local agencies to address air toxins, climate change and worked to protect public health and the environment.
“These dedicated and distinguished leaders will bring the highest level of experience, integrity, and knowledge to bear on behalf of the American people. Each of them brings a deep respect for the civil servants who keep our republic running, as well as a keen understanding of how the government can and should work for all Americans," Biden said of McCabe and several other administrative appointments in a release Friday.
"I am confident that they will hit the ground running on day one with determination and bold thinking to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
McCabe is a Washington D.C. native but has held several leadership positions in the Hoosier state since 1993 in the Department of Environmental Management’s Office of Air Quality, including serving as the office’s assistant commissioner from 1998 to 2005.
Directly prior to joining the EPA, McCabe was also the executive director of Improving Kids’ Environment, Inc., a children’s environmental health advocacy organization based in Indianapolis.
McCabe currently serves as the Director of IU's Environmental Resilience Institute and is a Professor of Practice at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law.
If confirmed, McCabe would be the deputy to Michael Regan, Biden's nominee for the EPA administrator.