Two EPA Nominations Pending In U.S. Senate

President Bush has nomimated Jim Gulliford to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances and William Ludwig Wehrum, Jr. to be an Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. AAEA supports both nominations.

Wehrum got heat at the Senate Environment & Pulbics Committee Hearing (3-5-06) over mercury, the Clear Skies Initiative and complaints from 7 of 10 EPA regional offices over a regulatory proposal. AAEA supported the Clear Skies Initiative, the Bush Administration is the first to regulate mercury and the regional office criticism is healthy feedback and should not derail the nomination.

Wehrum has served as Counsel to the Assistant Administrator and earlier in his career served as an environmental attorney at Latham & Watkins as well as at Swidler & Berlin. Mr. Wehrum received his bachelor's degree from Purdue University and his JD from Widener University.

Update: April 26, 2006 - - Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
approved William L. Wehrum’s nomination as assistant EPA administrator
for air and radiation on a vote of 10-8 along party lines.

Jim Gulliford has been the Region 7 administrator for the EPA since 2001. He had 25 years of rofessional experience administering environmental programs in the agricultural and mining areas and was named director of the Division of Soil Conservation when the Department of Soil Conservation merged into the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.