WASHINGTON, Broadcasting news corporation : White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy is leaving her post as part of a reshuffle that will see former Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta take up a new post as a top adviser to the president, the Biden administration announced Friday. McCarthy, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency during Barack Obama’s administration, will depart the administration effective Sept. 16. Her deputy, Ali Zaidi, will take her place. “I am immensely grateful for Gina’s service, and I am proud to announce the promotion of Ali to National Climate Advisor,” Biden said in a White House statement. “Gina has been an invaluable member of my senior staff since day 1 of the Administration, and I wish her the best as she moves forward.” Podesta, a former White House chief of staff under Bill Clinton and counselor to the president under Obama, will become Biden’s senior adviser for “Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation” — responsible for overseeing billions of dollars in new spending under the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act.
The 73-year-old Podesta may be best known for being the victim of a hack attack that led to thousands of Clinton campaign emails being posted by the website Wikileaks during the 2016 Democratic primary. He is currently the founder and chairman of the board at the left-wing Center for American Progress. “The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest step forward on clean energy and climate in history, and it paves the way for additional steps we will take to meet our clean energy and climate goals,” said Biden, who added: “We are fortunate that John Podesta will lead our continued innovation and implementation. His deep roots in climate and clean energy policy and his experience at senior levels of government mean we can truly hit the ground running to take advantage of the massive clean energy opportunity in front of us.” The act doles out $369 billion in taxpayer money for environmental projects, including $7,500 tax credits for buyers of new electric cars and $4,000 for used models; $62 billion for initiatives to support domestic manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, electric cars and the processing of rare minerals; and $30 billion in grants and loans for states and electric companies to transition away from fossil fuels. The bill passed the House and Senate along party lines last month, with Republicans warning that the measure would unleash an IRS crackdown on the middle class and small business owners without lowering four-decade-high inflation. NEWS COLLECTED FROM NEW YORK POST.