News: 'A 180-degree change' as Boxer preps for EPW panel's gavel

	'A 180-degree change' as Boxer preps for EPW panel's gavel BY DARREN SAMUELSOHN, GREENWIRE, 11/09/06 California Democrat Barbara Boxer began preparing yesterday to take the helm of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "As the new chair of the EPW Committee," Boxer said in a statement, "I am already planning for vigorous oversight and legislation to make sure that the U.S. Senate is once again an environmental leader in protecting the health of our families and our children and addressing pressing concerns like global warming." Boxer issued her statement as the Associated Press called victories for Democrats in tight races for Senate seats in Montana and Virginia. With Senate control at stake, Virginia Democrat James Webb led last night by more than 7,200 votes with nearly all ballots counted, but incumbent George Allen has yet to concede. The Associated Press, quoting an anonymous Allen adviser, reported this morning that the incumbent is unlikely to seek a recount if the statewide canvass of votes holds up. If Webb's lead holds, Boxer, who turns 66 on Saturday, would wrest from Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) the gavel of a panel with broad jurisdiction over U.S. EPA, air pollution, water, toxic waste cleanup and global warming. The shift to Boxer would be dramatic -- to put it mildly. As Bradley Campbell, former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, put it, "It's a 180 degree change for the Senate." Said David Sandalow, an assistant secretary of State under President Clinton: "Night and day." In a statement issued last night from California, Boxer suggested -- as she reacted to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's ouster -- that dramatic change is what the voters ordered. "The voters wanted change and within hours of our victory, Donald Rumsfeld is gone," she said. "That's a strong signal for a new direction." EPA's acting air chief, Bill Wehrum, said in an interview yesterday the Bush administration "looks forward to working with the leaders of the new Congress." But Wehrum, whose own nomination has been tied up over recent EPA policies, acknowledged he may have some difficult days ahead. "My life has certainly gotten more interesting as a result," said Wehrum during an event hosted by the Environmental Law Institute. Wehrum's immediate predecessor at EPA, Jeff Holmstead, said clues to Boxer's priorities as EPW Committee chair might be found in her past emphasis on children's health issues and toxic chemicals. "My impression about the senator is that she's interested in a different suite of issues" than those of other Democrats who focus on global warming or power plant pollution, he said. Boxer's credentials as an outspoken advocate of environmental causes have some wondering whether she will chair the committee in a partisan fashion. An electric utility lobbyist said Boxer's chairmanship would be best served if she struck a bipartisan tone. "It's a fundamentally different job to be chairman of a committee than it is to be in the minority," Scott Segal said. "As a result, a lot more balance and pragmatism are needed to pull off a successful legislative or oversight agenda." Climate change Boxer's ascension also raises questions about whether she will try to move legislation through the EPW panel during the next two years that caps heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. Earlier this year, Boxer cosponsored a bill that limits greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and new automobiles while mandating expanded use of renewable energy. Many see the legislation, which also includes support from retiring Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), as an extreme bookend in any upcoming debate over a new U.S. climate policy. David Hawkins, director of climate programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said there is still more work to do to convince enough lawmakers to adopt mandatory limits on U.S. emissions. "The votes for a Senate bill are not there today," he said. "They will not be there in January when the Congress takes its seat." Holmstead, the former EPA air chief now working as an attorney at Bracewell & Giuliani, said he doubts the next Congress will actually legislate on the issue. "I just think climate change is a lot more complicated than that," he said. "I hate to sound like [White House Council on Environmental Quality Chairman] Jim Connaughton, but it's more of a regional issue than a partisan issue. And that's not going away." Senior Democratic staff from the offices of Boxer, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Jeff Bingaman (N.M.) already have started holding informal meetings on climate. On the table, according to one Senate Democratic aide, is consideration of whether a climate measure is achievable via a joint effort involving the two key committees of jurisdiction: Environment and Public Works and Energy and Natural Resources. Inhofe's fate? Inhofe plans to be either the chairman or ranking member of the EPW panel depending on the final outcome of the Virginia Senate race, staff director Andrew Wheeler said today. Under Republican rules, Inhofe can serve for six years as ranking member of the EPW Committee. He also could return as chairman for another two years if Republicans recapture control of the Senate. In an interview, Wheeler said that the ideological divide between Boxer and Inhofe has not stopped them from teaming up on issues such as highways and some components of the pending water resources bill. "Although Senator Inhofe and Senator Boxer agree on very few issues, they've always had a very cordial working relationship," he said. Industry sources tracking the committee said they expect Inhofe will not change his views as an outspoken skeptic about human links to global warming. "He's firmly established himself as a leading member on that issue," said Joseph Stanko, an industry attorney and former Republican aide to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "I see that continuing from the ranking position." Campbell, now an attorney in West Orange, N.J., said of Inhofe, "Being in the minority will give him more time to review the data and come to a more sound conclusion."