By Michael V. Marzal, USCM Intern
November 3, 2003

Utah Governor Michael Leavitt was confirmed by the Senate October 28 to become the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The vote was 88-8. Leavitt is the agency's 10th administrator, succeeding Christie Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey, who resigned June 27 after serving for more than half of President Bush's term. Leavitt said that he will resign his state post November 5, handing over the reigns to Lt. Gov. Olene Walker, before a swearing-in ceremony in Washington (DC).

Bush nominated Leavitt to become the next administrator of the EPA on August 12 of this year. Leavitt's nomination ran into trouble early in October when members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee tried to make an issue of Bush's environmental record. Committee ranking member James Jeffords (VT) and other members of the panel boycotted a scheduled confirmation vote in committee earlier this month. This walkout left the panel without a quorum and therefore forced them to delay the session for two weeks. After this two-week delay, Jeffords and the rest of the members returned to the committee, and the final outcome was an overwhelming 16-2 vote. Senators Hillary Clinton (NY) and Joseph Lieberman (CT) both voted no.

During the hearing process, Leavitt gave his vision of what direction he wants to take the EPA if he is confirmed as the next administrator. Leavitt intends to utilize his "Enlibra Principals," to pursue both moderate and balanced policies. A Latin phrase, Leavitt has used "enlibra" to define his attempts to move toward balance in environmental policies.

Leavitt said, "the goal to having a clean environment is compliance... if there is not compliance I will enforce strict rules." Leavitt views himself as a problem solver and is up to the challenge of becoming the next administrator of the EPA.

Leavitt resigned from his position of co-chair of the Western Regional Air Partnership in preparation to move on to the EPA. At a meeting in Salt Lake City, Leavitt also announced he would step down from WRAP, a multi'state coalition that has sculpted a cap-and-trade air pollution reduction plan with a goal of improving visibility throughout the West, including once-pristine sites such as the Grand Canyon.

Leavitt's environmental background includes an air-quality partnership that helped to clear haze in southwestern Utah and a continuing effort to protect open spaces from future development. He has also opposed plans to build a nuclear-waste storage facility on a Utah Indian reservation. Leavitt is a supporter of shifting environmental regulation to the states and wants to increase environmental cooperation among federal, state and local officials.