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Jason Topping Cone / Earth Times News Service 22dec00
Governor
Christie Whitman of New Jersey is expected to be appointed by President elect
George Bush to the position of administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). Environmentalists appear to be split on the implications of
Whitman's potential appointment, with some saying she is the best person with
respect to their interests in a Bush Administration.
Whitman's credentials for her post are by all accounts minimal. She has spent the last six years as New Jersey governor where many hard-line environmental grosups have accused her of sacrificing her state's water quality in favor of industry's interests. Some 85 percent of New Jersey's waterways are too polluted for fishing and swimming, reports the Public Interest Research Groups of New Jersey (NJPIRG). In addition, every New Jersey waterway is currently under an advisory for fish consumption due to high mercury levels, says NJPIRG. The Newark-Star Ledger gave Whitman a grade of "B-minus" for her environmental performance.
Whitman has been praised by some environmentalists on her progress on conservation issues. Soon after winning her governorship she fired the state's environmental prosecutor and slashed funds to the Department of Environmental Protection. Advocates of her environmental record point to a $1 billion program to buy up lands for preservation she helped push through the state legislature.
Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense's Executive Director, was quoted in The New York Times as saying "in every administration, there are always voices on the other sides of these issues. Given the stature that she walks in with, and her record in New Jersey, we're hopeful that she would not be afraid to be an independent voice to make the environmental case."
There appears to be differing opinions of Whitman's potential appointment within some environmental groups. Mostly notably the Sierra Club, John Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the group was quoted in the Associated Press on Wednesday as saying of Whitman, "She'll sound good and do the opposite." While Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's Executive Director, said of Whitman, she has a "mixed record on the environment, but on balance we believe the Sierra Club could work with her if she is appointed EPA administrator."
The EPA administrator position is more often than not about politics rather than science. This reality may provide a blessing for Whitman who on Wednesday demonstrated her inability to understand one of the more pressing and politically sensitive environmental issues of the day, global warming. When asked about her opinion of the science behind global warming--that emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is believed to be behind changes in the world's climate over the past decade--Whitman stated:
"Still some-what uncertain. Clearly there's a hole in the ozone, that has been identified. But I saw a study the other day that showed that that was closing. It's not as clear, the cause and effect, as we would like it to be."
Scientists have determined that the hole in the ozone layer is caused by the emissions of chemical compounds such as chlorofluoro carbons that are in refrigerants.
Bush is expected to announce Whitman's appointment today.
SCOTT LINDLAW / AP 22dec00
AUSTIN, Texas - George W. Bush has selected New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman to head the Environmental Protection Agency, choosing a passionate outdoorswoman to safeguard the nation's land, air and water, officials said.
The president-elect was announcing the nomination and others at Friday ceremonies. He also was focusing on farming, meeting with state agriculture officials and industry leaders.
Another GOP governor, Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin, hopes to follow Whitman into the Bush administration. Senior Republicans in Washington and Wisconsin said Thompson accepted Bush's offer in a Thursday morning telephone call to be Health and Human Services secretary. They said the announcement would be made next week.
However, two senior Bush advisers said the president-elect had not quite closed the deal with Thompson.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
In his presidential campaign, Bush faced criticism from Democrats and some conservationists for his stewardship of the environment in Texas, where he had been governor since 1995 until his resignation Thursday. Environmentalists argued he didn't fight pollution aggressively enough; During his second term, Houston became the nation's smoggiest city.
Indeed, the EPA itself intends to review clean-air plans the state was forced to submit earlier this month because of persistent smog.
Bush contended the state's air improved on his watch, and said he was behind major air-quality improvement initiatives.
Whitman, 54 and a Republican, championed open-space preservation in New Jersey and refused to abandon an unpopular auto emissions test designed to reduce air pollution.
Critics said that to attract businesses, she compromised water pollution protections and cut spending for state offices that prosecute environmental abuses by industry.
Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said Whitman has a "mixed record on the environment, but on balance we believe the Sierra Club could work with her."
As head of an agency created by President Nixon 30 years ago, Whitman would have to decide whether to pursue Clinton administration environmental initiatives.
For instance, the EPA currently is seeking substantial new pollution controls on coal-fired power plants in the Midwest that pollute the Northeast. She has supported the EPA position.
Bush is moving at a fast clip in filling out his administration, working against a clock that ticked through the five-week electoral deadlock in Florida.
Former Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., long considered a sure-bet for defense secretary, remains a leading candidate, but Bush has told advisers he needs more time to consider his options. He was not expected to decide this week. Other candidates include Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Armitage, who both served under Vice President-elect Dick Cheney when he was defense secretary.
In other developments:
Bush and his pick for agriculture secretary, Ann Veneman, were meeting Friday with two-dozen state agriculture officials and heads of farming and ranching organizations.
The agenda was broad, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
"The purpose of the meeting is to hear directly from a wide variety of leaders in the agriculture community about the issues and problems they face," Fleischer said.
Federal farm subsidies are skyrocketing because of a slump in commodity prices, and the new administration must work to keep Europe's mad-cow disease scare from spreading to the United States. It also faces court battles over the Clinton administration's food safety initiatives and the Agriculture Department's treatment of minority farmers.
Bush grew emotional as he announced his resignation as governor Thursday. "I've cleaned out my office. It's ready for occupancy," Bush said, choking up as he waved farewell to hundreds of lawmakers and supporters in the state Senate chambers.
But he turned immediately to the job ahead, hosting 19 GOP and Democratic members of Congress for an education discussion at his soon-to-be-former house, the governor's mansion.
Bush and the lawmakers, meeting privately, said they addressed the president-elect's plan for local school control and accountability, literacy, special education and boosting teacher quality.
source: http://www.state.nj.us/commerce/whitman.htm 05 Jul 2007
Christine Todd Whitman was elected the 50th Governor of New Jersey on
November 2, 1993, becoming the first woman in the state's history to win
its highest elective office.
Ms. Whitman was raised in Oldwick, Hunterdon County. She earned a Bachelor
of Arts Degree in government from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., in
1968.
After graduation, she worked for the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity
and the Republican National Committee, where she developed the
"Listening Program," which reached out to groups not
traditionally associated with the Republican Party. As part of that program
she met with minorities, senior citizens, students, and gang members in the
East Ward of Chicago.
In 1982, Ms. Whitman was elected to the Somerset County Board of Chosen
Freeholders. She was re-elected in 1985 as the top vote-getter on the
ticket. She served on the board for five years, including terms as director
and deputy director, overseeing the administration of various departments
of the county government. She was instrumental in the opening of the
county's first homeless shelter and first halfway house for alcoholic male
teenagers, as well as the creation of the county's open space program. She
also oversaw construction of Somerset County's long-needed modern
courthouse, which was completed on time and under budget.
In 1988, Gov. Tom Kean appointed Ms. Whitman to serve as president of the
New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. During her two years administering
that board, she fought to keep utility rates low and won high marks for
instituting an ethics code for the board.
Ms. Whitman resigned from the BPU in 1990 to run for the U.S. Senate,
challenging Sen. Bill Bradley, D-NJ. She received 49 percent of the vote.
Following her narrow defeat, Ms. Whitman remained active in public affairs,
writing a newspaper column and hosting a radio talk show. She also formed
the Committee for an Affordable New Jersey to support legislative
candidates and speak out on issues.
During her years in public life, she served on a variety of boards,
commissions, and other volunteer bodies. Among them are the Community
Foundation of New Jersey, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency,
the New Jersey Advisory Council on Corrections, the Somerset County Board
of Social Services, the Somerset County College Board of Trustees, the
North Jersey Transportation Coordinating Council, the Somerset County Youth
Services Coordinating Commission, and the Somerset County Planning Board.
She and her husband, John R. Whitman, also taught English as a second
language when they lived in New York in the early 1970s.
Ms. Whitman carries on a long tradition of public service. Her parents, the
late Eleanor and Webster Todd, served the Republican Party and their state
and county in numerous positions. They ranged from state GOP chairman
(Webster) to vice chairman of the Republican National Committee and the New
Jersey Commission on Higher Education (Eleanor). Her two brothers, John
(deceased) and Webster Jr., and her sister, Kate Beach, have also served in
various elected and appointed offices at the local, state, and federal
government levels.
In addition to her public service, Ms. Whitman has devoted much of her life
to raising a family. Her husband, John, is a financial consultant with
political roots of his own-his grandfather was governor of New York and his
father was a circuit court judge. The Whitmans have two children, Kate and
Taylor. After living in Somerset County for much of her adult life, Ms.
Whitman and her family moved back to her childhood home in Oldwick,
Hunterdon County, in 1992.
Reuters 22dec00
AUSTIN, Texas - President-elect George W. Bush on Friday named Gov. Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Bush said at a ceremony nominating Whitman: "She has been able to balance the demands for economic growth and at the same time she has supported environmental protection measures." He said the position would have cabinet rank.
Whitman said her experience as a governor meant she knew what it was like to receive "mandates" from Washington. She added: "I have never underestimated the importance of environmental protection just as I have never overestimated the ease in achieving it."
Environmentalist groups expressed skepticism about Whitman's record, with the Sierra Club saying she oversaw severe cuts to her state's environmental law enforcement efforts. But they credit her with pushing through legislation to protect vast tracts of New Jersey land from development. She also backed a bill providing millions of dollars for forest preservation.
The two-term New Jersey governor's liberal views on abortion and gay rights are frowned on by more conservative members of the Republican Party, although they applaud her record on cutting taxes in her home state.
SCOTT LINDLAW / AP 22dec00
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - George W. Bush has selected New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman to head the Environmental Protection Agency, choosing a passionate outdoorswoman to safeguard the nation's land, air and water, officials said.
The president-elect was announcing the nomination and others at Friday ceremonies. He also was focusing on farming, meeting with state agriculture officials and industry leaders.
Another GOP governor, Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin, hopes to follow Whitman into the Bush administration. Senior Republicans in Washington and Wisconsin said Thompson accepted Bush's offer in a Thursday morning telephone call to be Health and Human Services secretary. They said the announcement would be made next week.
However, two senior Bush advisers said the president-elect had not quite closed the deal with Thompson.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
In his presidential campaign, Bush faced criticism from Democrats and some conservationists for his stewardship of the environment in Texas, where he had been governor since 1995 until his resignation Thursday. Environmentalists argued he didn't fight pollution aggressively enough; During his second term, Houston became the nation's smoggiest city.
Indeed, the EPA itself intends to review clean-air plans the state was forced to submit earlier this month because of persistent smog.
Bush contended the state's air improved on his watch, and said he was behind major air-quality improvement initiatives.
Whitman, 54 and a Republican, championed open-space preservation in New Jersey and refused to abandon an unpopular auto emissions test designed to reduce air pollution.
Critics said that to attract businesses, she compromised water pollution protections and cut spending for state offices that prosecute environmental abuses by industry.
Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope said Whitman has a "mixed record on the environment, but on balance we believe the Sierra Club could work with her."
As head of an agency created by President Nixon 30 years ago, Whitman would have to decide whether to pursue Clinton administration environmental initiatives.
For instance, the EPA currently is seeking substantial new pollution controls on coal-fired power plants in the Midwest that pollute the Northeast. She has supported the EPA position.
Bush is moving at a fast clip in filling out his administration, working against a clock that ticked through the five-week electoral deadlock in Florida.
Former Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., long considered a sure-bet for defense secretary, remains a leading candidate, but Bush has told advisers he needs more time to consider his options. He was not expected to decide this week.
In other developments:
-GOP sources said Virginia Gov. James Gilmore is Bush's pick to head the Republican National Committee.
-Republican consultant Rich Bond, a longtime ally of the Bush family, emerged as a candidate for labor secretary. Rep. Jim Talent of Missouri, who lost a bid to become governor, said he's a candidate too.
-Lisa Graham Keegan, Arizona superintendent of public schools, met Thursday with Bush's transition team to talk about the education secretary spot. Keegan, a vocal supporter of Bush primary opponent Sen. John McCain, "felt like it was a good meeting," spokeswoman Patricia Likens said.
Bush and his pick for agriculture secretary, Ann Veneman, were meeting Friday with two-dozen state agriculture officials and heads of farming and ranching organizations.
The agenda was broad, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
"The purpose of the meeting is to hear directly from a wide variety of leaders in the agriculture community about the issues and problems they face," Fleischer said.
Federal farm subsidies are skyrocketing because of a slump in commodity prices, and the new administration must work to keep Europe's mad-cow disease scare from spreading to the United States. It also faces court battles over the Clinton administration's food safety initiatives and the Agriculture Department's treatment of minority farmers.
Bush grew emotional as he announced his resignation as governor Thursday. "I've cleaned out my office. It's ready for occupancy," Bush said, choking up as he waved farewell to hundreds of lawmakers and supporters in the state Senate chambers.
But he turned immediately to the job ahead, hosting 19 GOP and Democratic members of Congress for an education discussion at his soon-to-be-former house, the governor's mansion.
Bush and the lawmakers, meeting privately, said they addressed the president-elect's plan for local school control and accountability, literacy, special education and boosting teacher quality.
LAURENCE ARNOLD / AP 22de00
WASHINGTON - A GOP star the moment she took office in 1994, New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman was buffeted in later years over her support for abortion rights and allegations of racial profiling by state troopers.
In tapping her to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, President-elect George W. Bush lets Whitman begin shaping a new image rather than serve an eighth and final year as governor.
Whitman gets to leave nagging controversies behind and may even find a place in government where her centrist views are welcomed by both parties. For his part, Bush gets a leading GOP moderate in his administration without riling conservatives.
"It's an extremely smart appointment," said Ann Stone, chairman of Republicans for Choice. "It's one of the positions where the religious right won't go nuts. She's a particular flash point for them."
The Rev. Jerry Falwell earlier this week had warned Bush against naming Whitman to a "key position."
On Friday Falwell said, "I have no problem with Governor Whitman at EPA, or such appointments where social policy is in no way affected. She is no doubt a great administrator."
Whitman, 54, worked hard to be known as a fiscal conservative, cutting taxes 38 times in her seven years. But her liberal social views - particularly her support for abortion rights - came to dominate her national reputation.
In particular, she drew the ire of conservatives in 1997 by vetoing legislation to outlaw the operation that critics call "partial-birth abortion." She narrowly won a second four-year term later that year.
Ingrid Reed, who monitors New Jersey government for the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, said people long wondered whether Whitman would be rewarded or punished for the years she spent advocating moderate Republicanism.
"If you look at EPA and its status, one would have to say she got pretty well rewarded," Reed said. "Not a gold crown, but a silver one."
Whitman has also been nagged by continuing allegations that New Jersey State Police officers targeted black and Hispanic motorists for traffic stops and vehicle searches.
Adding fuel to that furor was the release last year of a picture showing Whitman frisking a black youth during a police tour in Camden, N.J., in 1996.
Environmental groups say Whitman has compiled a mixed record in her seven years at the helm in the Garden State. She championed open-space preservation and beach protection but cut the finances of state offices that investigate and prosecute environmental abuses by industry.
Whitman maintains she made New Jersey more attractive to business without harming environmental quality.
"Our water is the cleanest it's ever been. Our air is cleaning up, and we're preserving a million acres of open space," she said Thursday.
Whitman's record came under continued scrutiny Friday.
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represents state and federal environment officials, reported that Whitman got poor marks in a 1997 survey of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection employees.
Complaints included "pressure to block enforcement of anti-pollution laws (and) backdoor efforts to gut regulations," said the group's executive director, Jeff Ruch.
Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth, said environmentalists worry that Whitman, in comments to the press this week, seemed to equate two related but distinct issues, global warming and the hole in the ozone layer.
"While the two are connected, and in a way problems with one makes the other worse, it's important that the head of EPA really be precise on the science," Blackwelder said.
During her confirmation process Whitman also may have to explain an agreement her administration reached with a major GOP donor who committed an environmental infraction.
The donor, J. Garfield DeMarco, gave land to the state to avoid paying $600,000 in fines for expanding his cranberry company's operations into protected wetlands. The state inspector general said the agreement had the appearance of "a sweet deal."
1997 PEER Survey of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Sample Responses to the Question:
"In your opinion, what is the biggest problem facing New Jersey DEP?"
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