diff --git a/travis/build_env.sh b/travis/build_env.sh
index 409141d670..75ee2f7d96 100755
--- a/travis/build_env.sh
+++ b/travis/build_env.sh
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ fi
 	 echo gfortran is $(gfortran -v)
 	 echo gfortran-"$mygccver" is $(gfortran-"$mygccver" -v)
      fi
-     if [[ "$FC" != "gcc" ]] && [[ "$FC" == "gcc*" ]]; then
+     if [[ "$CC" != "gcc" ]] && [[ "$CC" == "gcc*" ]]; then
 	 #install non default gfortran, ie gcc-9
 	 #get version
 	 mygccver=$(echo "$CC"|cut -d - -f 2)
diff --git a/travis/nwchem.bashrc b/travis/nwchem.bashrc
index 995dad138e..6f0683cea7 100644
--- a/travis/nwchem.bashrc
+++ b/travis/nwchem.bashrc
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ if [[ "$FC" == "ifort" ]] || [[ "$FC" == "ifx" ]] ; then
 	 echo gfortran is $(gfortran -v)
 	 echo gfortran-"$mygccver" is $(gfortran-"$mygccver" -v)
      fi
-     if [[ "$FC" != "gcc" ]] && [[ "$FC" == "gcc*" ]]; then
+     if [[ "$CC" != "gcc" ]] && [[ "$CC" == "gcc*" ]]; then
 	 mygccver=$(echo "$CC"|cut -d - -f 2)
 	 HOMEBREW_NO_INSTALL_CLEANUP=1  HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1 brew reinstall gcc@"$mygccver" || true
 	 export PATH=$HOMEBREW_CELLAR/../opt/gcc@"$mygccver"/bin:$PATH