By Lindsey Stimpson
Gov. Mike Leavitt”s nomination to lead the Environmental Protection Agency took one step forward Wednesday, Oct. 15, but still faces strong challenges from Democratic senators who are unhappy with the Bush administration”s environmental policy.
Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ended a boycott and overwhelmingly voted to advance Leavitt”s nomination. The nomination now goes to the Senate floor for a vote, but Democratic senators still plan to place a hold on the nomination.
Yesterday”s bipartisan vote approved Leavitt”s nomination 16-2 with one abstention. Sens. Hilary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Joseph Liberman, D-Conn., voted against the nomination, while Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., did not vote.
“He had a strong bi-partisan committee vote of approval,” said Natalie Gochnour, spokeswoman for Leavitt.
The EPW received Leavitt”s nomination Sept. 2, but delays prevented a prompt hearing and official vote. Three weeks after the nomination was submitted, Leavitt appeared before the EPW for his hearing.
“The hearing lasted about three hours,” Gochnour said. “He felt good about it.”
The EPW said the committee gathered a week later to consider the nomination, but could not vote because a quorum was not present.
Gochnour said the delay was not unusual for nomination processes. Environmental circumstances contributed to part of Leavitt”s delay. Hurricane Isabel caused one weeklong delay. Then, the Senate went out of session, which caused another week of delay.
According to the Associated Press, Senator James Jeffords, I-Vt., said, the committee vote was allowed “out of respect for Governor Leavitt.”
Though the nomination officially moves to the Senate for a vote, the future of the nomination remains unclear. The list of senators who plan to place a hold on the nomination is growing longer. A hold is a procedural move that prevents the Senate from voting.
Sens. Boxer and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., added their names to the list of senators who said they would block the nomination – bringing the total to at least six. Clinton and Liberman, along with Sens. John Kerry, D- Mass., John Edwards, D-N.C., and possibly Bob Graham, D-Fla., previously said they would stand in the way of a vote on the Senate floor. The senators said they would block the nomination because of discontent with the way the Bush administration handled air quality issues and statements after Sept. 11.
“What comes next is not knowable,” Gochnour said. “He [Leavitt] is optimistic, but there really isn”t anything he can do.”
Gochnour said the next part of the process has more to do with “issues between the White House and the Senate. It is not something Governor Leavitt is involved with directly.”
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., a member of the EPW committee, said “Now that the committee has voted… we must not allow presidential politics or partisan bickering to sacrifice a nominee with a proven record of environmental accomplishments.”
Leavitt remains in contact with the White House, and may have to meet with more senators in the future.
