WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is leaning toward choosing Gina McCarthy, a top official in charge of air quality at the Environmental Protection Agency, to run the EPA in his second term, according to two sources familiar with the matter.McCarthy, currently the assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Air and Radiation, would take on the top job as the agency leads Obama's push for measures to fight climate change. McCarthy would replace current EPA chief Lisa Jackson, who said in December that she planned to step down. A final decision has not been made, and one source cautioned that Bob Perciasepe, Jackson's deputy, remains in the mix for the administrator post. An announcement could be a couple of weeks away. She served previously as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Asked for reaction, a White House spokesman said he did not have any news to share. McCarthy would bring more gender equality to Obama's revamped cabinet. — Reuters
