[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of William Wehrum

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, President Trump has been in office now 
for more than 9 months. He has laid out his agenda to cut punishing 
regulations, to grow the economy, and to help hard-working Americans.
  President Trump's administration has already taken important steps to 
roll back the regulatory rampage of the last 8 years. During the last 
administration, the Environmental Protection Agency issued harmful and 
punishing, overreaching regulations that hurt workers in my home State 
of Wyoming.
  According to the chamber of commerce, from 2008 to 2016, the EPA 
issued regulations that cost our economy over $60 billion each year--
significantly more than any other Federal agency. These rules had real-
life impacts. The Obama administration's so-called Clean Power Plan 
would have closed powerplants and cost America jobs. We can have both 
clean air and a growing economy. We have proven it.
  My goal is to make American energy as clean as we can, as fast as we 
can, without raising costs on American families. President Trump shares 
that goal. That is why EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has led the 
charge in cutting redtape. The EPA has taken important steps to roll 
back the Clean Power Plan and other punishing EPA regulations.
  It is interesting. The annual cost of high-impact rules by agencies 
from 2008 to 2016--there were 13 rules by the EPA--in the red right 
here, billions and billions and billions--over $60 billion.
  Administrator Pruitt needs his full leadership team in place at the 
Agency to complete the task, so today the Senate is going to vote on 
cloture so we can consider the nomination of Bill Wehrum. He has been 
nominated to serve as EPA's Assistant Administrator for the Office of 
Air and Radiation. Mr. Wehrum has more than three decades of experience 
in environmental policy. He has worked as an environmental engineer, a 
public servant at the EPA, and is an environmental lawyer. His time at 
the EPA includes 2 years of service as the Acting Administrator of the 
Office of Air and Radiation--the same office he has now been nominated 
to lead.
  EPA's Office of Air and Radiation is critically important in terms of 
a division within the Agency. It develops national programs, policies, 
and regulations for limiting air pollution and radiation exposure. One 
of the responsibilities of this office is implementing the Clean Air 
Act, and it is a big job.
  Here is a chart. Most EPA regulatory burdens come from EPA air 
regulations; 94.5 percent from the Office of Air and Radiation 
regulatory burden in 2014; only 5.5 percent from all other EPA offices' 
regulatory burden of that same year. So under the Obama administration, 
the air office was one of the biggest regulatory abusers. According to 
the Office of Management and Budget, the EPA's air regulations were 
responsible for 95 percent of the cost of the Agency's regulations. Now 
Mr. Wehrum is going to play a key role in undoing this redtape.
  The American people need a qualified leader in the EPA air office. 
Bill Wehrum is the right man for the job. Don't take my word for it; 
former environmental Obama Justice official John Cruden said this of 
Mr. Wehrum: ``I believe he is committed to achieving clean air for all 
citizens and carefully following sound and current science.'' Marcus 
Peacock, an EPA Deputy Administrator during the Bush administration, 
praised Mr. Wehrum, saying that his ``understanding of the Clean Air 
Act may be second to none. His desire to pull up his sleeves and 
actually make the Clean Air Act work as a practical matter is second to 
none.''
  Mr. Wehrum's expertise and experience will be tremendously helpful as 
he pursues policies that will protect America's air, undo regulatory 
overreach, and allow our economy to grow. I urge all Senators to vote 
for cloture on Mr. Wehrum's nomination.
  Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Gardner). The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, as President Trump continues to undermine 
worker protections and prioritize corporate profits, it is very 
critical that the NLRB is independent and is committed to promoting 
collective bargaining.
  When corporations try to take advantage of their employees, workers 
should be able to turn to the NLRB to intervene. Unfortunately, Mr. 
Robb's career as a corporate lawyer fighting against workers gives me 
great concern he will not have workers' best interest at heart in this 
role. So I will be voting no on this nomination, and I urge my 
colleagues to stand up for workers and do the same.
  I yield back our time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time is yielded back.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Robb 
nomination?
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), 
and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts) 
would have voted ``yea.''
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. 
Menendez) and the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester) are necessarily 
absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 49, nays 46, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 266 Ex.]

                                YEAS--49

     Alexander
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Daines
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Flake
     Gardner
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Lankford
     Lee
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Perdue
     Portman
     Risch
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott
     Shelby
     Strange
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--46

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Donnelly
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Harris
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Peters
     Reed
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--5

     Cruz
     Menendez
     Paul
     Roberts
     Tester
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to 
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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