Boston

Exclusive: Former EPA Administrator Discusses Climate Policies

As controversy swirls around the Environmental Protection Agency under Administrator Scott Pruitt, we sat down with his predecessor.

Former Administrator Gina McCarthy, who served under President Obama, spoke to NBC 10 Boston meteorologist Michael Page on Earth Day.

“I didn’t have a sound proof phone booth, I worked with the career staff, I didn’t lock my office and keep people out, I actually only had a moderate amount of security during the day door to door, so they got me there and got me home,” McCarthy said of her time as Administrator, contrasting her actions with the widely reported actions of Pruitt.

“The most disturbing thing for me is the actual attack on science. They didn’t come in with new policies on how to protect the environment better and make it better for business, it was just the second half of that equation. Let’s figure out how we get this laundry list of things that industry told me they wanted without regard for the actual mission of the agency,” she adds while describing the EPA under President Trump.

Since Earth Day first started in 1970, the environmental movement has evolved, she says, adding that climate change remains her primary focus today. It’s an issue that she continues to work on as Director of Harvard’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment.

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