Trevor and Michael,

FYI - Here is some additional information on Bush Administration appointees.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

-Lisa

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Nominees to get approved by EPW this week 
Nominees for several key environmental positions received few questions at a confirmation hearing last week, and approval by the Environment and Public Works Committee this week is expected to come as easily. Rescheduled due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, testimony and statements at the confirmation hearing reflected the need for quick work in getting the nominations done in light of other problems now faced by Congress. 
Senate Environment Committee Chairman Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.) said the committee will meet Tuesday to vote on the nominations. At the markup, the panel will also consider a bill on methyl tertiary butyl ether (see related story). 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission nominee Nils Diaz received direct questioning from Jeffords on what will now be done regarding nuclear security concerns relative to other possible terrorism threats. 
Diaz, who has been nominated to be NRC commissioner, said the commission has always been concerned about security issues and will continue to look at nuclear plants' safety. He said it would be difficult for terrorists to damage plants at this point, but nothing is fool-proof. 
"I assure you that if confirmed, I am going to make this one of my top priorities," Diaz said. 
Diaz previously served as an NRC commissioner from August 1996 until his term expired this year, and President Bush nominated him for the post again. 
Representatives of Friends of the Earth (FOE) passed out papers outlining their concerns with Bush's nominee for the Interior Department's assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks -- Harold Manson. 
If confirmed, Manson would oversee the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service, both of which have significant maintenance backlogs. Manson, who would be the first African American to serve in that position, has been a judge in the California Superior Court since June 1998. From 1993 to 1998, he served as general counsel for the California Department of Fish and Game, and before that, outside counsel for the California Department of Conservation. 
Kristen Sykes, FOE's Interior Department watchdog, said that Manson's record with implementation of California's Endangered Species Act as well as involvement with land developers are just some of the reasons the group objects to the nomination. 
FOE also has concerns over Mike Parker, nominated to be the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. If confirmed by the full Senate, the former congressman would be the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 
Parker was elected to represent Mississippi's 4th District in 1988 as a Democrat and switched to the GOP in 1995. He gave up his seat to run for governor in 1999 but narrowly lost to Democrat Ronnie Musgrave. Parker's selection has been highly regarded by Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) but has been greeted with caution by environmental groups. 
FOE issued a letter highlighting Parker's actions in Congress, claiming that Parker engaged in attempts to "gut" the Clean Water Act and "ridiculed" fish restoration programs. 
Other nominees include Marianne Lamont Horinko to be the Environmental Protection Agency's assistant administrator for solid waste. Horinko said she will be looking at how to prioritize the Superfund budget and programs as well as ways to promote recycling. 
Earlier this month, Donald Schregardus, the former director of the Ohio EPA, ended his bid to serve as EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (see the 9/20 Environment and Energy Daily.) 
Mary Peters, Bush's nominee to head the Federal Highway Administration, also testified. If confirmed, Peters would oversee a $30 million budget and would take over just as the Senate prepares to launch hearings on the next transportation authorization bill. The current law, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, expires in 2003. Peters has been director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, an agency with 4,800 employees and a $3 billion budget, since 1998. 


Lisa Jacobson
Enron
Manager, Environmental Strategies
1775 Eye Street, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006

Phone: +(202) 466-9176
Fax: +(202) 331-4717