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Pastimes : Rarely is the question asked: "is our children learning" -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Sladek who wrote (1086)	10/28/2003 8:44:23 PM
From: John Sladek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2171

28Oct03-Reuters-Senate Confirms Leavitt as Bush's EPA Chief 2 hours, 49 minutes ago Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Thomas Ferraro WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, whose state environmental record has received both praise and scorn, won U.S. Senate confirmation on Tuesday to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites). AFP/File Photo On a bipartisan vote of 88-8, the Senate approved President Bush (news - web sites)'s nomination of Leavitt to succeed former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (news - web sites) as EPA administrator. She resigned in May after often being at odds with conservative administration members. Leavitt, who plans to take over the agency next week after stepping down as governor, has said he likes to chart a balanced course. Yet critics have questioned if the 52-year-old Republican will do so -- or be allowed to do so -- at the EPA. Democrats used the Leavitt nomination to pound Bush's environmental record, which they call the worst of any president in history. They charge it is laden with rollbacks in federal clean air, water and toxic waste protections. Bush, in a brief statement after Tuesday's vote, hailed Leavitt as "an exceptional leader," and said, "I know he will work closely with me" to protect the environment "while our economy grows." Sen. James Jeffords (news - web sites), a Vermont independent, backed Leavitt's confirmation on Tuesday after having earlier joined Democrats in temporarily blocking the nominee in committee. "I am supporting his confirmation because we need a leader at the agency," Jeffords said. "The record of the Environmental Protection Agency under this administration is abysmal." "I am hopeful that Governor Leavitt will have more luck than Governor Whitman did with the White House," Jeffords said. But Sen. Richard Durbin (news, bio, voting record), an Illinois Democrat, opposed Leavitt, saying, "Frankly, I believe that this nominee has not presented us with evidence that he will fight to change the Bush administration record on the environment." Leavitt will take the helm of an agency that employs around 18,000 people and was set up to enforce environmental laws and research environmental problems affecting air, water and land. Leavitt's environmental record as Utah's governor has received mixed reviews. Many have criticized what they denounce as weak enforcement of the law and secret deals that favored industry. Others said he managed to broker sweeping accords that improved the environment. At his Senate confirmation hearing (news - web sites) last month, Leavitt said he views himself as a "problem solver" who listens to all sides and seeks an equitable balance. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, defended Bush's record, argued Leavitt would be effective and accused some Democrats of playing politics. A half dozen Senate Democrats, including three running for president -- Sens. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, John Kerry (news - web sites) of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina -- had placed "holds" on the Leavitt nomination. They had demanded more information from Leavitt or the administration about various environmental matters before a vote could take place. Normally such holds are honored until the concerns of senators who place them are resolved. Yet Senate Democratic leaders conceded on Monday that they did not have enough support to use Senate procedures to block the nominee, and they agreed to Tuesday's confirmation vote. Thirty-six Democrats joined independent Jeffords and all 51 Republicans in voting for Leavitt. Democrats cast the eight 'no' votes. Lieberman, Kerry and Edwards, who have spent much of the year on the road campaigning for the White House, were not in the Senate for the vote. story.news.yahoo.com