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(Las Vegas-AP) -- Nevada Senator Harry Reid and the Bush administration have made a deal clearing the way for dozens of Bush nominees to take office in exchange for a Reid aide being nominated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Part of the deal involves Reid dropping his hold on the nomination of Utah Governor Mike Leavitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency. However, at least four other Democratic senators plan to block Senate action on Leavitt's nomination.
Congressional officials said the agreement also breaks a monthlong impasse that stalled executive branch nominations for confirmation to posts within the homeland security and justice departments and overseas posts.
In return, Reid is positioned to place an aide, Gregory Jaczko, on the N-R-C for a five-year term that could carry through the nuclear agency's deliberations over a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
