Whitman coasts through confirmation hearing

Benjamin Grove

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2001 | 11:16 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- As predicted, New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman today seemed to sail through her confirmation hearing as lawmakers lobbed questions at her about how she would run the Environmental Protection Agency.

Whitman, 52, is appearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She promised "to forge partnerships among citizens, government and businesses and move beyond the 'command and control' model of mandates, regulations and litigation."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., enjoying a brief stint as committee chairman, presided at the hearing. He will hand the gavel back to Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., after Republicans take control of the Senate on Saturday when President-elect George W. Bush is sworn in.

Reid asked Whitman for her thoughts about the EPA's proposed radiation standards for Yucca Mountain, the proposed site of the nation's nuclear waste dump 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The EPA has proposed strict levels for the amount of radiation the waste burial site could emit, and Nevada officials, including Reid, strongly support those EPA-set standards.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed more lax standards, creating controversy between the two agencies. Whitman said the EPA and NRC should together devise a standard.

"Sen. Reid was not pleased with the nominee's response," on that question, Reid spokesman David Cherry said.

Businesses will clean up faster and more thoroughly if the government offered incentives instead of ultimatums, she said.

Whitman said three of her priorities were reauthorizing the Clean Air Act, cleaning up abandoned industrial "brownfields" and tending the EPA's "Superfund" sites -- the list of the most polluted spots in the nation.

She said her record in New Jersey proved her commitment to clean air, water and land.

"At the same time, New Jersey's economy is stronger than ever," Whitman stressed as she made the point that environmental protection and economic prosperity "go hand in hand."

But mostly Whitman performed well before the friendly committee and received kudos on her nomination from both Democratic and Republican members. Reid has predicted she will be confirmed overwhelmingly in a full Senate vote.

Reid also asked Whitman about decreasing pollution created by diesel fuel vehicles and providing "environmental justice" to poor or minority Americans who suffer with pollution. Both issues were high on her priority list, she said. Reid also asked Whitman to make pollution on the Paiute tribe reservation in Nevada a priority, and she pledged she would.

Reid opened the hearing with remarks about a pristine springs -- an "oasis in the desert" -- that he visited as a boy growing up in nearby Searchlight.

"Over the years, it has been ruined," Reid said. "It was really a mess from people who had trashed this natural wonder."

Whitman said she wanted to visit Nevada and other states -- "perhaps even visit some trout streams." Whitman said her father first taught her to love the environment on the banks of a small trout stream on their family farm.