Alabama's two Senators have blocked the nomination of John Paul Woodley, Jr., President Bush's choice to be assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, the Pentagon official who oversees the Army Corps of Engineers, aides say. Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, both Republicans, have put a hold on Woodley's nomination because of Alabama's dispute with Georgia over the availability of water from the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basins.
Shelby put his hold on Woodley on April 14, and will delay floor consideration of the nomination until he feels "that the [Alabama] delegation's concerns have been adequately addressed," says a spokesperson.