In A Bad Environment, Ed Feulner, President of the Heritage Foundation, defends Mike Leavitt's nomination to EPA:

...One important way to achieve those goals is to give states more control over their environment. After all, state governments are on the front lines of the battle against pollution. It’s in their best interest to protect air, water and land within their borders. As Leavitt has shown, it makes sense for EPA to work with the states, rather than simply issue top-down directives and expect states to follow them.
Pragmatists like Michael Leavitt are crafting ways for all of us to work together for a better planet. Let’s give him a chance to succeed...