Senate Panel OKs New EPA Information Officer.

With only a murmur of dissatisfaction, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved today by voice vote the nomination of Mollie O'Neill to head the EPA's information office. The only note of displeasure came from Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member James Jeffords, I-Vt., who said, "With respect to Ms. O'Neill, I will vote for her nomination to head EPA's Office of Environmental Information, but I still have serious concerns about EPA's misguided proposal to weaken the Toxic Release Inventory Program." The EPA has proposed several major changes to that program, including requiring industry to notify states about toxic releases only every other year, instead of annually. Possible threats to block O'Neill's nomination as a protest seemed to dissolve after the House last week voted to stop EPA from implementing the proposed changes. O'Neill currently runs an information exchange program for the nonpartisan, nonprofit Environmental Council of States.