Watching Government: Sec. Whitman

July 30, 2001
House Committee on Science Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) has introduced legislation to give the US Environmental Protection Agency cabinet level status and to redesignate the agency as the Department of Environmental Protection.

House Committee on Science Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) has introduced legislation to give the US Environmental Protection Agency cabinet level status and to redesignate the agency as the Department of Environmental Protection.

"H.R. 2438, the Department of Environmental Protection Act, gives EPA the status and authority it deserves and needs to carry out its mission of protecting human health and the environment," Boehlert said July 11. "It's time the United States joined all the other major industrial nations in according cabinet level status to the primary agency en trusted with environmental protection."

The White House has already indicated it would support the measure. But the proposal still has a long way to go before becoming law, Boehlert admits.

"This is certainly not a new idea. Nor is it a partisan one. In fact, in 1988, I joined one of my Democratic colleagues (Rep. Jim Florio) in introducing a bill to elevate the agency. I introduced a similar bill again in the 103rd Congress. Several of my colleagues also introduced EPA elevation bills, and in 1993, there was significant debate surrounding Senate-passed and House committee-passed bills," Boehlert said.

Baggage attached

The problem wasn't so much the concept of the legislation, but the "baggage" attached to the bill, according to Boehlert. It became a magnet for inflammatory proposals and pet projects. This time, the bill has been streamlined to steer clear of controversy, says Boehlert. That way, there is a better chance that a divided Congress and a supportive White House can overcome past obstacles.

"Making EPA the 15th cabinet-level department may be an 'old' idea, but it's still a good idea. EPA's mission is too critical for the agency not to be an official part of the cabinet, particularly when so many complex, international, and global environmental issues confront us," Boehlert said.

Green road

Boehlert's proposal comes at an interesting crossroads for the White House. With the international climate change talks in Bonn still fresh in the public's mind, President George W. Bush is still trying to shake off the public's perception that he does not care about environmental issues. Successfully elevating EPA to cabinet level status could be an important symbolic step.

On a more practical level, making EPA part of the cabinet is more of a cosmetic change; the agency already operates independently from other departments, and its current administrator, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, participates in cabinet meetings when energy and environmental issues are being debated.

And as government agencies go, EPA is young. Then-President Richard Nixon proposed a federal environmental agency in July 1970 following nationwide Earth Day demonstrations.

That same year, Congress passed landmark legislation amending the Clean Air Act to give the federal government more authority over air and water pollution standards; it also endorsed the new EPA.

Two decades later, environmental issues still are a major touchpoint for the US and its allies. Climate change is a big concern, as is preserving clean air and water standards.

Boehlert's efforts to give EPA some respect on the international policy stage may help the White House convince skeptics at home and abroad that it takes environmental protection seriously.