Democrats Boycott Vote on Bush EPA Nominee

By J.R. Pegg

WASHINGTON, DC, October 1, 2003 (ENS) - Senate Democrats today blocked a scheduled vote on the nomination of Utah Governor Mike Leavitt to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by not showing up for the committee hearing. Democrats say the boycott of the meeting has little to do with Leavitt's qualifications and everything to do with the Bush administration refusal to release information about some of its environmental policies.

"The American public needs answers," said Senator James Jeffords, a Vermont Independent and the only member of the minority party to appear at today's Environment and Public Works Committee meeting.

"The Bush administration is weakening the Clean Air Act, it is weakening the Clean Water Act and it is not cleaning up Superfund sites," Jeffords said. "We have a right to know why - these are life and death issues."

Jeffords said the administration has failed to provide information requests about its environmental policies stretching back to early 2001 and that Leavitt has failed to fully answer questions about environmental issues and how he views administration policies.

"This has nothing to do with the qualifications of Mr. Leavitt - I will vote for him," Jeffords said.

Republicans slammed the move as pure politics and said it was an insult to Leavitt, who has the support of many Democrats.

Utah Governor Mike Leavitt said he would speak his mind to the President if confirmed as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Photo courtesy Office of the Governor)

Ten of the committee's 19 members - including two from the minority party - are needed to hold a confirmation vote on a nominee. All 10 Republicans on the committee appeared for the hearing, but none of the eight Democrats attended - the committee will try again in two weeks.

"This has never happened before in the history of this committee," said Committee Chairman James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican.

Democrats told Inhofe in a letter that Leavitt was not responsive enough in his answers and that they need more information to evaluate his qualifications.

"Our review of these responses reveals that they are incomplete in numerous respects," Jeffords said.

Leavitt, for example, did not directly answer a question of what he believes are the top five environmental health risks faced by the American public.

The Utah Governor answered that he would hear what scientists and experts advise on this question - Democrats say this does not give them a sense of his own knowledge and priorities.

In addition, Leavitt claimed to have no knowledge of EPA issues and policies that have been of considerable debate - such as New Source Review, new smog rules and the issue of MTBE in gasoline. Critics noted that the Utah Governor did answer that he had enough information to repeatedly support the administration's air pollution plan, known as Clear Skies.

Inhofe said Democrats submitted some 400 questions to Leavitt - compared to the 67 Republicans put to Carol Browner, the Clinton administration's nominee to head the EPA.

The charge that Leavitt has not fully answered the questions is unwarranted, Inhofe said, because "nominees can not answer questions about policies they have not been working on."

"This is a confirmation hearing for Governor Leavitt," Inhofe told Jeffords, "and it is he that you ask the questions and he has answered in a responsible and consistent way."

The issue for Democrats clearly goes beyond Leavitt and today's boycott further polarizes a deep partisan divide over the Bush administration's environmental policy.

Democrats raised few concerns about the qualifications of the Utah Governor to head the EPA at last week's hearing, but repeatedly expressed criticism of an administration many believe is waging an unprecedented assault on the nation's environmental protections.

Democrats are insulting Leavitt, said Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican. (Photo courtesy Office of the Senator)

It is clear that some Democrats do not believe it really matters who is in charge of the EPA while Bush is President. Environmental policy comes from the White House, not the EPA Administrator, said Senator Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, at last week's hearing.

Four Senate Democrats - including three who want to replace Bush - have said they will block Leavitt's nomination from being taken up by the full Senate unless the administration answers questions about a range of environmental policies.

And Jeffords says he wants information he requested as chairman of the committee in December 2001 about the administration's revisions to New Source Review.

"The issue here is longstanding issue with this administration over its refusal to answering questions," he told the committee. "The only time we have the leverage is when we have something like this and we intend to use this leverage to get the answers that we are entitled to."

Senator Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican, said the proper way for critics to get answers from the administration would be to ask "a confirmed administrator of the EPA."

"All this nonsense about weakening the laws is not going to be fully discussed and fully answered until we have a confirmed administrator," Bond said.

Despite a series of events this summer designed to showcase the President's environmentalism, critics believe Bush's record on the environment could be a weak issue for his reelection campaign. (Photo by Paul Morse courtesy White House)

"Many of the problems that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are complaining about may very well be due to the management of the agency," said Ohio Senator George Voinovich. The longer the delay, Voinovich said, the greater the chance the things Democrats are concerned about "are going to perhaps deteriorate even more."

Senator Michael Crapo, an Idaho Republican, said the Democrats are trying to make the environment a campaign issue, but added that he believes the Bush administration has a strong record on the environment that it can defend.

"The fight we are having is going to go on all the way through the [presidential] election," Crapo said.