Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: New EPA chief

Tuesday, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly confirmed the nomination of former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to replace New Jersey's Christie Todd Whitman as the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. With only eight "No" votes, primarily from northeastern Democrats, Gov. Leavitt was able to easily overcome "holds" on the nomination placed by six different senators, who sought to delay the inevitable confirmation so that they could engage in scurrilous partisan attacks against the Bush administration's sensible environmental policies.

Now that all the petty stalling has ended, Westerners should be pleased that one of our own will have the leading voice in federal environmental policy. Gov. Leavitt's tenure in office has been highlighted by his concerns over the absence of access provided local residents and decision-makers to the regulatory process. The new EPA administrator promises those days are over.

Mr. Leavitt also has worked with the Department of the Interior to increase public access to federal lands in his state for recreational and commercial uses -- an issue of crucial importance to Nevadans and other Westerners that's barely on the radar screens of Eastern environmental elites.

To the degree Mr. Leavitt can place these regional concerns on the national agenda, and incorporate input from the people who would be most affected by his agency's policies, the West should benefit from his presence in the Cabinet.