WASHINGTON, DC (March 3, 2009) – Multiple senators anonymously blocked the nominations of two top science advisers intended to play a major role in the Obama administration’s climate change policy, delaying their confirmation.
John P. Holdren, nominated to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Jane Lubchenco, picked for undersecretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere, had been expected to receive a quick floor vote. They received an amicable confirmation hearing Feb. 12 and plaudits from the science community otherwise.
But Holdren, a Harvard University physicist, and Lubchenco, an Oregon State University marine biologist, may have to undergo an extra round of review, Senate style.