Environmental observers, including those in the construction industry, are hoping that President Bushs pick for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, agency veteran Stephen L. Johnson, will be more than a figurehead.
Bushs surprise announcement March 4 led some wags to speculate that no prominent outsider wanted the job. It is no secret that Bushs first EPA administrator, former N.J. Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, was frustrated in the post and often disagreed with the White House on policy. Her successor, former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, headed the agency for only a year. He now serves as Secretary of the Dept. of Health and Human Services.