On November 29, President Trump's nominee to head EPA's chemical and pesticide safety office, current Region 1 Administrator and longtime environmental lawyer Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, went before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. Dunn, who is widely seen as a centrist choice, has bipartisan backing, according to Committee Chair John Barrasso (R-WY) and could be confirmed as early as next week.
Dunn has until Dec. 3 to answer questions from the committee. If there are no objections—and Barrasso doesn’t expect any—her nomination will go straight to the Senate floor and bypass a vote from environment panel members”.
The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention has been the source of some of the Trump administration's most controversial moves, including its refusal to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos, as well as its industry-friendly approach to implementing Congress' bipartisan overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act. “I commit to implementing the law, following the law, and bringing all provisions of the law to the full effect,” Dunn told senators.
She also said she would work to complete a national plan to address perfluorinated chemicals, substances used in nonstick coatings that have been found in drinking water near chemical manufacturing plants and military bases. The chemicals have been linked to a number of cancers, immune system problems, and thyroid concerns. (Bloomberg BNA, 11/29/18)
