The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee advanced three of President Donald Trump’s nominees for EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Transportation.
Senators voted along party lines, 10-9, for John Busterud to be EPA assistant administrator to head the Office of Land and Emergency Management. The longtime PG&E attorney led EPA’s Southwest Region during the final year of Trump’s first term.
Former colleagues have regarded Busterud as a level-headed choice to lead the agency’s waste office, which oversees hallmark cleanup programs such as Superfund and Brownfields.
During his confirmation hearing, he backed the “polluter pays” principle when it comes to “forever chemicals” remediation, a thorny issue splitting lawmakers.
