OBERSTAR INQUIRY, OBAMA EARMARK SEEN PUSHING CANNON'S EXIT FROM EPA

摘要

Jonathan Cannon's abrupt withdrawal as nominee for EPA's deputy administrator slot was due primarily to an ongoing inquiry into America's Clean Water Foundation (ACWF) - a now-disbanded organization on whose board Cannon once served - by House transportation committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), which sources believe could have complicated Cannon's confirmation hearing.rnBut his withdrawal, which has left EPA without a nominee for a key slot, may also be due to several other factors, including then-Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) support for a $3 million earmark for the organization even after ACWF officials had briefed some lawmakers - though not Obama - that a former bookkeeper had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organizations.rnCannon hinted at the Oberstar investigation in a March 25 statement withdrawing his name from consideration, saying the organization, which was established to monitor farms' environmental performance but was disbanded after a critical EPA Inspector General (IG) inquiry, "has become the subject of scrutiny."