The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will move ahead next week with confirmation votes of key Environmental Protection Agency officials, after some Republicans signaled they may not vote for them as retaliation for the Trump administration’s plan to weaken the biofuel mandate.
Those concerns from Midwestern Republicans seem to be mollified for now, because EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt assured GOP senators late Thursday night he would keep intact the Renewable Fuel Standard, which requires a certain amount of biofuels to be blended into the nation’s fuel supply.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was scheduled to consider the nominations this week, but it postponed the vote shortly after Republicans threatened to oppose the nominees because of the administration’s biofuels proposal.
The new date for the vote will be Wednesday, the committee announced Friday.
Nominees scheduled for consideration include Michael Dourson, chosen to run the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and Bill Wehrum tabbed to run the agency’s air office.
Sen. Joni Ernst, from the corn-producing state of Iowa and a major supporter of the Renewable Fuel Standard, had criticized Wehrum for being insufficiently supportive of the biofuel industry.
“I told [EPA] outright that I would not support [Wehrum] if I didn’t have assurances,” Ernst, R-Iowa, told reporters Wednesday.
Ernst’s vote could swing the fortunes of Wehrum because Republicans hold an 11-10 majority over Democrats on the committee, so just one GOP defection would defeat his nomination.
Late Thursday, Ernst said she was satisfied with Pruitt’s assurance that he would not lower next year’s annual requirements for blending renewable fuel in the nation’s gasoline and diesel supply, as he had proposed.
“These assurances are a clear win for Iowans,” Ernst said in a statement. “I am appreciative of Administrator Pruitt’s pledges to rural America, and I will continue to work collaboratively with the EPA going forward on this and other issues that help our farmers, manufacturers, land owners, businesses and communities.”
Even with Ernst’s cooperation, Wehrum and Dourson face a contentious confirmation vote. Democrats uniformly oppose both of them, citing their close ties to industry.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois this week placed a hold on Wehrum and Dourson’s nominations, in an effort to prevent a vote on the Senate floor.
Duckworth’s move is more of a messaging vehicle, as Republicans can proceed on the vote if they choose.
