The US Senate has confirmed the Indian-American water expert Radhika Fox as head of the Office of Water of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Senate, bitterly divided over party lines, confirmed the nomination of Fox on Wednesday with 55 to 43 votes after seven Republican senators supported their candidacy. Two Democratic senators did not cast their votes.
“Ms. Fox brings an impressive two decades of experience and accomplishments working on water issues at the local, state and federal levels,” said Senator Tom Carper, chairman of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works (EPW).
Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Radhika Fox as the first woman of color and the first person of Asian American descent to lead the Office of Water @EPA!
— U.S. EPA Water (@EPAwater) June 16, 2021
“Today we have the opportunity to affirm a really talented leader and put him to the service of our country immediately,” he added.
On April 14, President Joe Biden nominated Fox for the post of Assistant Administrator for Water, Environmental Protection Agency.
Fox is currently serving as Assistant Administrative Assistant for Water. The EPA’s Office of Water works to ensure that drinking water is safe, wastewater is safely returned to the environment, and surface water is properly managed and protected.
Prior to joining the EPA, Fox was Chief Executive Officer of the US Water Alliance, where she established herself as a widely recognized national thought leader on complex water issues, from equitable water management to investing in the country’s water infrastructure.
Her work has helped address key water issues in the United States – including climate change, affordability, equity, governance, innovative finance, and the development of the One Water movement.
Fox previously led the policy and government agenda for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which is responsible for providing 24-hour water, sewer and municipal power supplies to 2.6 million Bay Area residents.
She also served as Federal Policy Director at PolicyLink, where she coordinated the organization’s policy agenda on a variety of topics including infrastructure investments, transportation, sustainable communities, economic inclusion and human resource development.
Fox holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley, where she was a HUD Community Development Fellow.
The seven Republicans who backed Fox’s nomination are Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Roger Wicker, Richard Burr, Kevin Cramer, and Lisa Murkowski.
Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito opposed Fox’s appointment as assistant administrator for the Department of Water
“When I asked Ms. Fox about the government’s plans during her nomination process, she said she wanted to hear from stakeholders about creating a ‘permanent’ rule,” she said.
The Senator said Fox did not conduct a formal public process with stakeholders prior to announcing the decision to repeal the Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
“The government has announced that it will lift the rule – and then introduce 1980s guidelines – while we wait and find a replacement,” Capito said.
“Changing the rules three times in a short space of time – 2015, 2020 and now 2021 – simply does not meet their obligation to develop a ‘permanent’ definition. Instead, ever-changing rules create a cross-governmental game of regulatory ping-pong. “,” She added.
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