It’s been 136 days since President Obama nominated Gina McCarthy to head the U.S. EPA. It’s been even longer, a record-breaking 154 days, since the agency had a permanent administrator.

Now, finally, she and the agency are out of limbo: The Senate confirmed McCarthy by a vote of 59-40 on Thursday.

Senate Republicans had thrown a tantrum over her nomination and blocked it in various ways — even though she is highly qualified and has worked for Republicans like Romney before.

Ultimately, though, as part of a broader deal on confirmation of Obama’s nominees, Republicans let her go through.

Now the really hard part begins: Trying to implement Obama’s climate plan, most notably controversial regulations on carbon emissions from new and existing power plants, plus everything else on the EPA’s plate, all with a shrinking budget and in the face of GOP resistance.