The New York Times editorial board is not excited about Bush’s two latest nominations for important environmental positions: William Wehrum to succeed Jeffrey Holmstead as head of air pollution programs at EPA, and Dirk Kempthorne to succeed Gale Norton as Interior Secretary. Read the editorial for details. I was struck by this passage:
Opposition to [Wehrum’s] nomination has been building rapidly in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, where the vote could break largely along party lines. If it does, the nomination may hinge on two senators whose views on Mr. Wehrum are not known: James Jeffords, an independent from Vermont and a consistent critic of the administration’s clean air policies, and Lincoln Chafee, an environmentally inclined Republican moderate from Rhode Island.
Wow, I hope Chafee sees some political benefit in siding with environmentalists on this one. Ahem.
