Posted on 04/14/2005 11:43:32 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Frustrated by the Bush administration's air pollution policies, Democratic Sen. Thomas Carper plans to block the Senate from confirming President Bush's nominee to become administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Delaware senator is "going to place a hold on the nomination of Stephen Johnson to be head of the EPA," Carper's spokesman, Bill Ghent, said Thursday. All senators have the power to hold up the confirmation of a nominee.
The White House had no immediate comment.
Carper has complained about what he describes as stonewalling by the White House and EPA over data requested during the past several years on various legislative proposals aimed at cutting pollution from power plants.
At a meeting Wednesday of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Carper was the lone senator to vote against Johnson. The committee voted 17-1 to advance his nomination to the full Senate.
Carper said he believed Johnson, a career EPA employee for about 25 years and the first person with a science background to be nominated the lead the agency, would be "a very good administrator" — if the White House didn't interfere with him politically.
"I believe if Steve Johnson is to be an effective administrator, he needs to be unfettered by this administration," Carper said. "To get the right legislation, we need to get good, timely technical data."
After the meeting, Carper said EPA and other federal agencies traditionally provide unbiased scientific information on legislation whenever Congress asks for it.
"But for the last four years, the EPA has been constrained from providing us with unfettered and timely information about legislative and regulatory proposals, especially those having to deal with air pollution," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
Solution: Dismantle the EPA.
Huh?? Can someone please explain this to me?
Sure - all Senators have the power to place a hold on a nominee. This is done by both parties.
Nothing to see here, folks. The RATS are just doing what they do best. Obstruct.
So what will keep the Dems from placing such a hold on Bush's Judicial Nominees if Frist finally pulls the Constitutional/Byrd/Nuclear option?
This makes the 2nd or third---Clinton and Murray are holding up the nominee for HHS (I think) because they want the "morning after" pill to be sold over the counter---
The problem with Mr. Carper's case is---he says that he is holding up Mr. Johnson who is a very qualified and good candidate because he doesn't want this person to be unduly pressured by the White House---
SO- his solution is to pressure congress to hold up this very good person---
Huh? that is what my mother used to call "cutting off your nose to spite your face"----
Actually though he is just minding Reid, who had given the marching orders to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct any and every nominee that Bush sends to them for confirmation---
THAT is all this is!
Does anyone doubt the dems have lost their minds?
As a dog returns to it's vomit, so shall the Democrats return to their folly.
The voters need to get rid of the left wing obstructionists once and for all. Vote them all out so good things can finally get done and the country can go on with it's business. I for one am getting pretty tired of the Democrats pettiness and immaturity.
Even my 15 year old daughter is smart enough to notice liberals are nothing but small children with pubic hair!
The only problem is that the people who voted this nut in are proud of him and what he is doing. The only real solution is for the majority to start acting like the majority and run the House and Senate in a manner that squashes little pipsqueaks like Mr. CARPer.
I'm not sure. Senators like holds, because it gives each one of them tremendous power.
They are doing that right now---the dems have already threatened to close down the senate if the "nuclear option" is used---THAT is what they will do.
And I can't wait!!!!!
I guess Carper is a little frustrated that Delaware, a tiny state with one invisible Senator in the minority and another grandstanding Senator in the minority, isn't getting any pork.
Recess appointment : JESSE HELMS
Place a hold? For how long? If one senator can derail a nomination, none of President Bush's nominees (starting with Condi) would have been confirmed. What am I missing here?
Having 100 Republicans (or 100 Democrats) in the Senate may not be a good thing though...governments often lose their way when they have such a huge majority
Yeah...uh, but what's the catch?
it seems the Dummos strategy these days (since they have NONE of their own) is to just block any and all Repub efforts to move this country forward. Doesnt matter to them @ the country's security, JUST THE POLITICS. these people are TRULY DESPICABLE!
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