Senator Chafee Votes For Nomination of William Wehrum
As the new home of RIPIRG's environmental work, Environment Rhode Island can be contacted regarding this news release.
WASHINGTON,
D.C.—The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today narrowly
voted 10-8 along party lines to confirm William Wehrum to be the
Assistant Administrator for Air & Radiation at EPA, despite his
clear record of working to weaken clean air protections at EPA and as a
former lawyer representing electric utilities and other industries
regulated under the Clean Air Act.
Senator
Lincoln Chafee (RI) voted to confirm Mr. Wehrum; while Independent
Senator Jim Jeffords (VT) joined the committee’s seven Democrat in
opposing the nomination.
“It’s
very disappointing to see someone who has consistently worked to
dismantle key provisions of the Clean Air Act from inside and outside
government to be this close to becoming our nation’s top government
official responsible for implementing the Clean Air Act,” said Matt
Auten, Advocate with the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group
(RIPIRG). “As an advocate for public health and the environment, RIPIRG
does not think that William Wehrum is fit for this job, and we are very
disappointed that Senator Chafee voted for this nomination,” Auten
continued.
Mr.
Wehrum was the main architect of the Bush administration’s mercury and
New Source Review (NSR) rules, including the 2003 NSR rule that was
recently stuck down by a unanimous, sharply worded decision of the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Earlier this month, Mr.
Wehrum recommended major changes to the way that EPA establishes
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that would marginalize
the role of EPA staff scientists and independent science advisors and
consolidate power in the hands of EPA political appointees. The NAAQS
are the backbone of the nation’s work to improve air quality. Currently
the entire state of Rhode Island fails to meet the NAAQS for ground
level ozone pollution
