[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4572-S4573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Nomination of Radhika Fox

  Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I rise today to urge our colleagues to 
join me in voting to confirm Radhika Fox--Isn't that a great name, 
Radhika Fox?--to be Assistant Administrator for Water of the 
Environmental Protection Agency.
  Over the past 2 months, as Radhika Fox has gone through the 
confirmation process, I have had the real pleasure to come to know her 
and, frankly, to admire her. I am convinced that she is an excellent 
choice to lead the EPA's Office of Water at a crucial time in the 
Agency's history.
  Ms. Fox brings with her an impressive, professional record of service 
and accomplishment spanning over two decades, working on water issues 
at the local, State, and Federal level.
  Most recently, before she was nominated for her position at EPA, Ms. 
Fox served as the CEO of the U.S. Water Alliance. There she worked 
hand-in-glove with organizations across this country representing a 
wide range of water stakeholders, from industries to municipalities, 
from service organizations to consumer groups, and from agricultural 
groups to environmental organizations. What those organizations have 
said again and again about Radhika Fox is that she is an exceptional 
leader who will work day and night to come up with practical solutions 
for our country's serious water challenges. Moreover, Ms. Fox will make 
sure that everyone's point of view is heard and taken into account when 
EPA acts to protect our country's precious water resources.
  And how do we know these groups say all these wonderful things about 
Radhika Fox? Because they have written to us, urging the Senate to act 
swiftly to confirm her, again and again and again. In fact, over 80 
prominent organizations that are key stakeholders in the nation's water 
policies have written letters in support of her nomination to this 
important post.
  When I say that over 80 organizations have written, I don't mean that 
80-plus organizations have signed on to a common letter--one letter of 
support. No, no, no. I mean that over 80 organizations have taken the 
time to write their own unique, thoughtful letters of support.
  In fact, the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, 
which I am privileged to lead along with Shelley Capito of West 
Virginia, has been inundated with letters of support for Radhika Fox. 
Each letter describes the specific and positive impact that Ms. Fox has 
already had on issues of importance to those individual organizations 
and the members of those they represent, and she has done it under 
previous professional positions consistently.
  I will take a few minutes. I don't do this very often, but I just 
want to take a few minutes here and actually go through some of these 
letters, these 80 letters of support. They are remarkably consistent 
letters of great compliment and praise for her and the kind of person 
she is and the kind of leader that she is. But I want to share the 
words of some of those who reached out to us.
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce writes:

       Ms. Fox has worked to ensure that businesses and the groups 
     that represent them are valued stakeholders in water 
     infrastructure conversations. She has created platforms to 
     convene stakeholders from the water sector and industry 
     through her leadership.

  The U.S. Water Alliance, what do they say? The U.S. Water Alliance 
writes:

       Radhika Fox developed a consistent record of working 
     cooperatively alongside stakeholders from every corner of the 
     water sector, including drinking water, wastewater, and 
     stormwater utilities of all sizes, environmental groups, 
     labor, frontline communities, and countess others.

  How about the Family Farm Alliance. Here is what the Family Farm 
Alliance writes:

       Due to her extensive engagement in policy and public 
     discourse in her previous positions, Ms. Fox understands the 
     implications of guidance and regulation but also the 
     importance of authentic community engagement and the need to 
     achieve quantified results on the ground.

  They go on to say:

       Radhika Fox is the type of leader to create the conditions 
     to catalyze that work and ultimately see it through.

  Again, those are the words we received from the Family Farm Alliance.
  How about the Iowa Soybean Association? We raise a lot of soybeans in 
our State, and I know the Presiding Officer raises a bunch in her 
State. And for this gentleman sitting over here on my left, they raise 
a few down in West Virginia. But the Iowa Soybean Association says:

       Ms. Fox understands how water management issues are 
     interwoven with the fabric of rural and urban communities and 
     that farmers must be part of the team and beneficiaries of 
     this work. This integration is key for making real and long-
     lasting progress on protecting and improving water in the 
     21st century.

  And here are some words from one of our neighbors in Delaware, off to 
the west of us, Maryland. Ben Grumbles, a Republican-appointed 
secretary of the Maryland's Department of the Environment writes that 
Ms. Fox has ``impressed public and private sector water leaders on her 
abilities to find common ground and skillfully advocate for integrated 
`One Water' policies throughout the country. . . . Radhika is well-
qualified to organize, inspire, and lead EPA's national water program 
and the many diverse constituencies who shape our water future.
  Thank you for those words, Ben Grumbles.
  Galveston. Galveston, TX, here we go. Galveston Bay Foundation down 
in Galveston, TX, says this about Radhika:

       Radhika is a proven leader who has demonstrated a desire to 
     make sure that all stakeholders and all voices have a place 
     at the table.

  And, finally, last but not least, the Community Water Center--that is 
an outfit in Central California, not too far from where I was stationed 
when I was in the Navy. They write:

       Ms. Fox has the rare ability to bring multiple differing 
     voices into the room (from environmental justice to water 
     agencies to agricultural entities to state government 
     leaders), find the common themes, and then

[[Page S4573]]

     weave together a shared ground that helps advance the 
     conversation and create real progress. You will be hard-
     pressed to find a more gifted visionary and leader in the 
     water space than Ms. Fox.

  Those are amazing letters. Any one of them by themselves would be, I 
think, remarkable and compelling, but when you put them all together--
from the Chamber of Commerce to environmental organizations and 
agricultural organizations--we hear this theme repeated again and 
again. It is pretty amazing, and the reason why is because it turns out 
that Radhika Fox is an amazing human being and leader.
  These excerpts that I just shared with my colleagues today are really 
a small sample--this is just a small sample--of the expressions of 
overwhelming support that our committee, the Environment and Public 
Works Committee, has received from organizations and from people around 
the country who know water issues and who also know Radhika Fox.
  Their message is loud. Their message is clear. We have the 
opportunity today to confirm a truly gifted leader and put her to work 
serving our country right away from sea to shining sea. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in doing just that
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.