AP: GOP Scraps Vote on Mine Agency Nominee

GOP Scraps Vote on Mine Agency Nominee


Tuesday June 13, 2006 11:16 PM

By NANCY ZUCKERBROD

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans scrapped a vote Tuesday on President Bush's pick
to head the agency in charge of mine safety after it became clear he didn't have
enough support to win Senate approval.

Democrats opposed the nomination of Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and
Health Administration, saying he had spent too many years as a coal mining executive
and failed to demonstrate that safety is his top priority.

"The Republican leadership's decision to cancel the vote on the Stickler nomination
today shows growing consensus that the nation's coal miners and their families deserve
much better," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.