Dive Summary:

• Thursday, the Senate confirmed Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), set to implement President Obama's climate change plan.
• Republicans had threatened to block the confirmation over concerns that McCarthy supports regulations that are costly to business. “After the longest wait in history to confirm an EPA administrator, it's encouraging to see the Senate finally ending the gridlock," said Carol Browner, former EPA administrator under President Clinton.
• McCarthy was President Obama’s top pick for the spot. McCarthy, EPA’s senior air regulator since 2009, oversaw rules to reduce mercury and soot pollution from power plants.

From the article:
“Obama is calling for limits on heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions from both existing and new power plants -- restrictions that will mostly affect coal-fired plants.”