EPA Response to SEJ Letter

Beth Parker

Joseph A. Davis, PhD

Society of Environmental Journalists

PO Box 2492, Jenkintown, PA 19046

Ms. Parker, Dr. Davis:

Thank you for your letter to Administrator McCarthy, dated June 5, relating to the rollout and press engagement surrounding the Clean Power Plan on June 2. As the Associate Administrator for External Affairs, Administrator McCarthy asked me to respond.

We at EPA are committed to an open and productive engagement with the press and the general public. As a matter of course, we routinely and regularly make Administrator McCarthy available to the media, as well as engage the public directly through a variety of social media channels, including Twitter, Google+, and Reddit.

Specific to the rollout of the Clean Power Plan, over the course of the last week Administrator McCarthy did interviews with journalists from the following media outlets:

The Weather Channel
NBC
CNN
The Washington Post
MSNBC
The New York Times
PBS
New York Magazine
NPR
Bloomberg News
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
The St. Louis Post Dispatch
Time Magazine
New Journal and Guide
Associated Press
WBOC-TV
Wilmington News Journal

Additionally Administrator McCarthy participated in a press roundtable with reporters at the Western Governors Association on June 10, and is scheduled for another round of media interviews following remarks in New York City at the Goldman Sachs North American Energy Summit on June 11.

Moreover, Acting Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation Janet McCabe and Joseph Goffman, Associate Assistant Administrator & Senior Counsel, have also conducted a series of interviews with a variety of media outlets since the Clean Power Plan was announced.

As demonstrated by the depth and breadth of media engagement by Administrator McCarthy and her senior staff in the past week, you can see that EPA is committed to a positive and fruitful relationship with the press.

To your point about last Monday’s background briefing with EPA experts following the announcement, it was intended to provide reporters with the opportunity to ask specific technical questions regarding the details of the proposal.

Finally, your invitation for Administrator McCarthy to join your annual conference in New Orleans is with our scheduling office for consideration.

Thank you.

Sincerely,


Tom Reynolds
Associate Administrator for External Affairs
 

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