Nomination of Michael O. Leavitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

NOMINATION OF MICHAEL O. LEAVITT TO BE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, I join with those of my colleagues who are pleased to see that the nomination of Governor Michael Leavitt to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency will finally be moving forward.
Governor Leavitt is one of the founders of a bipartisan and collaborative approach to environmental decisionmaking that is a model for dealing with the difficult issues that face us today. His "En Libra" philosophy has been adopted by the National Governors Association and is being used by Federal, State, local and private entities throughout the country. He is the former chair of the National Governors Association, the Western Governors Association, the Republican Governors Association and the Council of State Governments. His experience spans the private sector, academia, and government.
Governor Leavitt is without question qualified for the job. In fact, he is superbly qualified for the job. He is the Nation's longest-serving, and arguably most successful Governor, whose tenure has brought unprecedented prosperity to his State, unparalleled efficiency to its management, and unequaled improvements to its environment. Along the way he has strived for and achieved-if not perfect harmony-then a notable reduction in the volume and intensity of debate over the kind of issues that are more often polarizing than they are unifying.
There can be no better recommendation for the individual who is to lead the agency charged with stewardship of our country's environment.
Unfortunately, Governor Leavitt's nomination was treated shamefully by a small handful of individuals bent on using it as an excuse to accuse the current administration of all kinds of environmental wrongs, to perpetuate outmoded and ineffectual approaches to environmental issues, and to cater to the worst kind of unscientific and unsupportable rhetoric-all that Governor Leavitt stands against and that this Senate should repudiate for the sake of our nation's welfare.
My State of Alaska, as many others-especially in the west-has often struggled with environmental restrictions sought by, imposed by, and maintained by interests with very little knowledge of the conditions we live with. Nonetheless, we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously.
We care about our environment, and we try very hard to address serious issues with clarity and common sense. All too often, common sense is lacking when one-size-fits-all solutions are imposed from outside, and based more on fanciful gloom-and-doom predictions than on facts.
The truth is that we have made mammoth strides in improving our environment, and every day we learn new ways to apply research and technology toward doing an even better job.
This administration is providing a breath of fresh air-and I mean that both literally and figuratively-when it comes to environmental issues.
While improvements can certainly be forced-at great cost-by the threat of heavy-handed government enforcement, they come far more rapidly when they are to the participants' economic advantage. There is all the difference in the world between making money and not losing money.
If we look honestly at what works and what doesn't, we have to conclude that reform of the regulatory process is badly needed. Frankly, I commend the administration for being willing to look at new approaches to building a better environment, rather than continuing to hammer at the same old nails.
I am confident that I will not always agree with the positions that Governor Leavitt may take if he becomes the EPA Administrator. Alaska has a number of outstanding issues with the EPA.
We have long hoped to establish Alaska as a separate EPA region, because attempting to administer such a vast area with so few people who have even seen the issues first-hand is an impossible task that often leads to unnecessary and damaging misunderstandings.
We would like to move forward on a determination that better defines the extent of Clean Water Act authority over Alaska's wetlands. We have over 174 million acres of land classified as wetlands, more than all the other States combined. Much of it is neither use for navigation nor connected in any substantive way with other water bodies, or exists solely because it is underlain by permafrost.
We would like to receive active assistance from the EPA in evaluating the long-term health benefits of our reliance on small, diesel-powered utilities.
We would like to receive recognition that uncontrollable temperature inversions due to our climate are the primary reason some of our cities have difficulty attaining compliance with carbon monoxide rules.
We would like the agency to work with us on developing a mechanism that will more effectively deliver grants to Alaska's many rural Native communities.
In fact, the list of issues between us ranges from minuscule to mammoth-from local issues that should be easily resolved to those which require the intervention of the Supreme Court.
I by no means believe that confirming Governor Michael Leavitt will lead to a resolution of them all. What I do believe is that Governor Leavitt will offer comprehensive, impartial and thoughtful consideration. That is all I ask, and all that my constituents ask.
I strongly support this nomination, and I am very pleased to see that it is moving at this time. I would like to think that this marks a triumph for the American people, who have little patience for diversionary rhetoric and divisionary politics. The American people want their Congress to simply do its job, to the best of its ability, and with the welfare of the entire country in mind.
I will vote to confirm Governor Leavitt on behalf of my constituents, on behalf of all Americans, and on behalf of a safe, productive and healthy environment. I urge all my colleagues to do the same.