Obama makes EPA, DOE picks

President Obama has turned to an experienced hand to replace Lisa Jackson as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

Gina McCarthy, currently the EPA’s assistant administrator in charge of air and radiation, will replace Jackson barring protest from the Senate, according to SFGate.com. Additionally, Ernest Moniz, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will replace Steven Chu at the U.S. Department of Energy. McCarthy played a key role in developing the tough national fuel standards implemented by the Obama administration during his first term.

Obama said McCarthy (pictured) and Moniz will be expected to invest in American energy and job creation and “doing everything that we can to combat the threat of climate change.

“They are going to be a great team,” he said. “And these are some of my top priorities going forward.”