Two nominees for high-ranking EPA positions are in procedural purgatory as Republicans aim to block their confirmations and Democratic leaders have so far declined to bring them to the floor.
The nominations have languished since last year. David Uhlmann, picked to lead the EPA’s enforcement division, formally the Office of Enforcement Compliance and Assurance, and Carlton Waterhouse, chosen to oversee the Superfund and waste division, had their confirmation hearings in 2021.
On April 7, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee deadlocked in 10-10 votes on both nominees. That means Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. — or the No. 2-ranking Democrat, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, who has been running the floor in recent days after Schumer tested positive for COVID-19 — would have to file procedural motions to bring the nominations to the Senate floor.
