New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R), President-elect Bush’s choice to head the U.S. EPA, was warmly received by both Democrats and Republicans during a Senate hearing on her nomination today. Sen. Bob Torricelli (D-NJ), who introduced Whitman before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, called her nomination “a very wise selection.” National environmental leaders have been moderately supportive of the nomination, in part because Whitman is more green than the rest of the horrific slate Bush has chosen for his Cabinet. New Jersey enviros, however, have little positive to say about Whitman, who cut the state’s environmental protection budget by 30 percent and promoted voluntary compliance with environmental regulations. Jeff Tittel of the New Jersey Sierra Club said, “She’ll sound good and do the opposite.”
