Biden taps Podesta to implement climate and energy spending in Inflation Reduction Act
President Joe Biden revamped his climate change team on Friday, announcing that longtime political operative and climate advocate John Podesta would join the Wh
President Joe Biden revamped his climate change team on Friday, announcing that longtime political operative and climate advocate John Podesta would join the White House and Ali Zaidi would take over for Gina McCarthy as domestic climate adviser.
Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and counselor to President Barack Obama, will take on a role implementing the energy and climate parts of the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act.
Zaidi, an alumnus of the Obama administration who served as deputy to McCarthy, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, was promoted to become Biden’s top national climate aide. McCarthy steps down on Sept. 16.
“Under Gina McCarthy and Ali Zaidi’s leadership, my administration has taken the most aggressive action ever, from historic legislation to bold executive actions, to confront the climate crisis head-on,” Biden said in a statement.
Deputy national climate advisor Ali Zaidi speaks in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 16, 2021.Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images filePodesta’s climate and government background, Biden said, “mean we can truly hit the ground running to take advantage of the massive clean energy opportunity in front of us.”
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