Whitman Resigns From EPA

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hristie Whitman submitted her resignation on Tuesday to President Bush as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Whitman, a former New Jersey governor, said her resignation is effective June 27.

(M. James-TT) Christie Whitman

"It has been a singular honor to be entrusted with the responsibility to lead the EPA in its effort to leave America’s air cleaner, its water purer and its land better protected than it was when this administration took office," she said in a letter to President Bush posted on the EPA Web site.

In her brief tenure, Whitman was involved in several major rules affecting the trucking industry.

Whitman was in charge of ensuring the consent decrees that diesel engine makers signed in 1998 were implemented on Oct. 1, 2002. She personally intervened when some manufacturers asked for delays, denying all requests.

She was also in charge of ensuring compliance with the 2006 ultra-low sulfur diesel rule, and the 2007-2010 on-road diesel engine rule, the latter requiring engine manufacturers to reduce emissions to negligible levels.

Both were major environmental landmarks of the Clinton administration which, to this date, the Bush administration has supported.

In addition, Whitman announced a major off-road rule that would affect emissions from agriculture and construction equipment.

However, Whitman also had a history of clashing with the White House, the Associated Press reported, including the president's abrupt decision to withdraw from the international global warming treaty.

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