DENVER, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Former Utah Gov. Michael O. Leavitt is President Bush's nominee for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The New York Times reported Tuesday the nomination of the three-term Republican governor was praised both by business and Republican Party groups.
But reaction was mixed from environmental activists, who commended Leavitt for working for clean air in the Grand Canyon but faulted him for helping to open public lands in Utah to industry and road building.
If confirmed by the Senate, Leavitt will succeed Christie Todd Whitman, who resigned in May.
"I selected Mike Leavitt because he is a trusted friend, a capable executive and a man who understands the obligations of environmental stewardship," President Bush said Monday in Denver where he was attending a fund-raising event. "Mike Leavitt will come to the E.P.A. with a strong environmental record, a strong desire to improve what has taken place in the last three decades."
