After Boxer's hold, "White House pulls nomination to top EPA air post"

[ProSense]

White House pulls nomination to top EPA air post

By Chris Baltimore Wed Apr 11, 6:06 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday withdrew its choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency's air pollution office after he ran afoul of key U.S. lawmakers.

William Wehrum, nominated to head the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, was the architect of rules to regulate harmful power plant emissions that environmental groups and many Democrats blasted as too lenient.

The White House withdrew Wehrum's nomination, along with that of Alex Beehler, its pick to be the EPA's Inspector General, in a routine personnel announcement.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, had placed a hold on both nominations last year after the panel approved it in party line votes. At the time, the Senate was under Republican control.

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Boxer, a California Democrat, had called Wehrum an "extremely troubling" nominee, whose record "demonstrates a pattern of discounting health impacts, ignoring scientific findings and substituting industry positions for the clear intent of Congress."

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An aide to Sen. James Inhofe (news, bio, voting record), the panel's top-ranking Republican, declined to comment. Inhofe had criticized Boxer's hold as "obstructionist" and called the nominees "highly qualified."

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[aquart]

1. Inhofe is a source of pollution all by himself.

[MalloyLiberal]

2. They'll just recess appointment him

[beachmom]

3. That's just what I was thinking.

This administration doesn't care for the constitution or for the existence of the legislative branch, which is why they either villify it or condemn it.

[Uncle Joe]

4. I like the way Barbara Boxer

held the gavel up and told Cujo "Elections have consequences"

Kicked and recommended for slowing down the Bush maladministration, even if they can't entirely stop them yet.