Choice for EPA Post Withdraws Amid Opposition

WASHINGTON — President Bush’s nominee to head enforcement at the Environmental Protection Agency withdrew his name Monday after encountering Senate opposition over his roles in opposing some air-cleanup measures as Ohio’s top environmental officer.

“It is clear to me . . . that my nomination will not be considered by the U.S. Senate in a timely manner,” Donald Schregardus said in a letter to Bush.

Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, had promised to spend months scrutinizing Schregardus’ record as head of Ohio’s EPA before allowing a Senate vote on the nomination.

Schregardus said in his letter that he remains proud of his record, which included 17 years with the federal EPA and eight years as director of Ohio’s EPA.

White House spokeswoman Anne Womack said the administration did not ask Schregardus to withdraw.

“We continue to believe that Donald Schregardus would have made an excellent enforcement chief at EPA,” Womack said. “He made a difficult personal decision in withdrawing his name and obviously we’re disappointed that someone as qualified as he will not be given the opportunity to serve.”

On Aug. 1, the Senate panel that Jeffords chairs approved Schregardus’ nomination to be EPA’s assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance, with dissenting votes from four Democrats.

A month later, EPA released a report faulting the Ohio agency when it was headed by Schregardus for not implementing part of a federal acid rain program that would have required power plants in the state to spend millions on new pollutant-abatement technology.

Some Senate Democrats and environmental groups seized on the report as ammunition in their campaign to defeat Schregardus’ nomination.

Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) had said they would block a vote by the full Senate. They cited Schregardus’ efforts to win the dismissal of lawsuits by several states to force power plants to reduce pollutants blamed for acid rain.