Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) has changed his mind and won't challenge Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-Okla.) for the committee's top GOP seat in 2007. EPW oversees federal highway, Corps of Engineers civil works and Environmental Protection Agency programs.

After Democrats won Senate control in November's elections, Warner said he wanted to be EPW's ranking Republican in the new Congress. He has 19 years on the panel, eight more than Inhofe, its chair- man since 2003.

But Warner said Dec. 14 he was "strongly considering" a 2008 run for re-election to the Senate and wanted to focus on that race and his armed services, intelligence and homeland security committee work. He also will stay on EPW.