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Senators Block Vote on Nomination of Leavitt as EPA Administrator
Democratic Senators blocked a committee vote on President Bush's nomination of Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which must approve Leavitt before the full Senate can vote on his nomination, was scheduled to vote on the matter on October 1. But the committee's eight Democrats refused to attend the hearing, preventing the quorum necessary for a vote.
Independent Senator James Jeffords (VT) made an appearance before the committee to explain that he and his Democratic colleagues want more information about Leavitt before they will allow his nomination to advance to the full Senate. They also want answers from the Bush Administration, which they see as too weak on environmental protection. "The Bush administration is weakening the Clean Air Act, it is weakening the Clean Water Act and it is not cleaning up Superfund sites. We have a right to know why. These are life-and-death issues," said Jeffords at the hearing. He continued, "This is the only time we have the leverage, when we have something like this, and we intend to use it."
From the beginning, it appeared that Leavitt's confirmation process might prove contentious. Democratic presidential hopefuls reacted harshly after Bush introduced his nominee in August. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) commented, "While none of us should be surprised that President Bush has chosen someone who has a record of working to undermine national environmental protections, the truth is that we aren't going to have a real commitment to the environment until we have a new president." Anticipating the confirmation hearings, Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) said, "The American people deserve to know whether Governor Leavitt shares the same disregard for clean air, clean water, land conservation and global warming as the president."
Bush announced Leavitt's nomination on August 11 in Aurora, Colorado, a stop on his environmentally-focused tour of the western United States. Bush introduced Leavitt as "a trusted friend, a capable executive, and a man who understands the obligations of environmental stewardship." Leavitt was elected governor of Utah in 1992, and became friendly with Bush while he was governor of Texas. Describing Leavitt's record on environmental policy, Bush said, "Governor Leavitt has been a leader in applying high standards in air quality, and he understand the importance of clear standards in every environmental policy. He respects the ability of state and local governments to meet those standards, rejects the old ways of command and control from above."
Leavitt described his approach toward environmental policy as a balance, saying, "To me, there is an inherent human responsibility to care for the earth. But there's also an economic imperative that we're dealing with in a global economy to do it less expensively." He suggested that progress can be achieved by avoiding extremism: "There is no progress polarizing at the extremes, but there is great progress, there's great environmental progress when we collaborate in the productive middle."
Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense, called Leavitt "very good" at protecting air quality in scenic areas and Western national parks. Krupp continued, "I'd call him a real leader in the west to address regional air issues and protect our national parks, and he deserves credit for that." Leavitt was instrumental in bringing together 13 states, 13 tribal Indian nations, three federal agencies, and private sector companies to reduce power plant emissions and clean up skies over Arizona's Grand Canyon, and Utah's Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Arches National Parks.
Governor Leavitt was criticized in Utah, however, for his failure to take measures against US Magnesium, a magnesium processing company that was releasing large quantities of pollutants near the Great Salt Lake. He also supported the controversial Legacy Highway project, which would have cut through important wetlands habitat, until the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked progress on the project.
The Environment and Public Works Committee has rescheduled the vote on Leavitt's nomination for October 15. Marianne Horinko is currently serving as Acting Administrator of the EPA and will remain in that office until the Senate approves a permanent replacement.
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