Here's what's happening to Jeff Holmstead, the nominee for the EPA Air AA job 
who was the alternative suggestion to Whitman's choice Chris Hessler, who we 
were backing:

EPA Air Nominee on Hold

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee yesterday delayed its vote 
on another controversial nominee: Jeffrey Holmstead, Bush's pick to be the 
Environmental Protection Agency's assistant administrator for air and 
radiation.

EPW Chairman Bob Smith (R-N.H.) "reluctantly" removed Holmstead from the 
committee's agenda Wednesday morning in response to Democrats concerns about 
his service during the pervious Bush administration. 
Committee ranking Democrat and Minority Whip Harry Reid (Nev.) has placed a 
hold on Holmstead's nomination until he receives copies of notes and memos 
related to the Clean Air Act and radiation Holmstead wrote while working as 
associate counsel to former President Bush from 1989 until 1993. Holmstead 
advised White House officials on 1990 revisions to the Clean Air Act. 
The hold has agitated Smith. "Throughout my service on this committee, I have 
never played politics with a nomination," he said. 
"Rather than focusing on notes that were taken a decade ago, my hope is that 
my colleagues would focus on the nominee," Smith said, noting that Holmstead 
has answered all of the committee's questions and has said he would provide 
the documents Reid seeks if he could. 
David Cherry, a spokesman for Reid, has said the request is reasonable. "We 
didn't make the request because we think there's information out there that 
could torpedo the guy. There's no smoking gun that I know of," Cherry said. 
"We just want a better sense of what his views are regarding clean air 
policy, and we've limited our request to documents containing information on 
issues he would have jurisdiction over." 

The committee Wednesday supported by voice vote confirmation of Linda Fisher 
as EPA deputy administrator, Stephen Johnson as EPA assistant administrator 
for toxic substances, and James Connaughton as the director of the White 
House Council on Environmental Quality. However, Reid has said he will hold 
floor consideration of Johnson's and Connaughton's confirmations until EPA 
publishes a rule establishing radiation standards for the proposed Yucca 
Mountain nuclear waste repository (see the 5/18 edition of Environment and 
Energy Daily). 
Jeffrey Keeler
Director, Environmental Strategies
Enron
Washington DC office - (202) 466-9157
Cell Phone (203) 464-1541