Reid won’t block Bush nomination

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, May 17, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., today softened his stance on blocking President Bush's federal appointments to the Environmental Protection Agency.

After a private conversation with EPA administrator Christie Whitman, Reid agreed not to a lead an effort today to block Linda Fisher, whose nomination to be Whitman's top deputy was pending in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today, Reid spokesman David Cherry said.

Reid is the top Democrat on the 19-member committee, evenly divided with Republicans and Democrats. The committee must approve Bush nominees to several agencies, including EPA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Reid had threatened to block the appointments over an issue tied to the proposed nuclear waste repository at Nevada's Yucca Mountain. The EPA under President Clinton in January recommended a strict limit on the amount of radiation that could be released from waste permanently stored at Yucca, which Reid backed. But Bush is still reviewing the limit and has not made it an official rule.

Reid said: No radiation limit, no nominees.

But Reid today agreed not to attempt to block Fisher because Whitman "agrees with me and has assured me that she will do everything she can to get the EPA standard for Yucca Mountain published," the senator said in a written statement.

Reid said he would still try to block other nominees when their appointments come to the full Senate for a vote, unless Bush approves the EPA radiation limit.