Clinton to Delay EPA Chief’s Confirmation

Lynn Schenkman

Washington, D.C. --Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., told news sources she will block President Bush’s nominee for administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Clinton said she would lift the hold on Gov. Mike Leavitt, R-Utah, if the White House replied to her queries about an EPA report on the health risks of New Yorkers following the World Trade Center attacks. Although the EPA told residents the air near the towers was safe to breath, another report released in August said the EPA did not have enough information to have made such a claim. The block would prevent the Senate from voting on Leavitt’s confirmation.