USDA undersecretary nominee withdraws

President Obama's nominee to lead the Forest Service and farmland conservation programs has withdrawn his name from consideration. Homer Lee Wilkes, the Mississippi state conservationist and a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Agriculture Department's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), was nominated in May as Agriculture undersecretary for natural resources and environment. The post directs the Forest Service and conservation projects at NRCS. But Wilkes withdrew his name for personal reasons, the White House confirmed today. Career administration officials said USDA had been trying to promote Wilkes to its headquarters for years but that Wilkes had been hesitant to uproot his family and move to Washington. Lobbyists who follow USDA said the withdrawal came after a bump in the road came up in Wilkes' background investigation...NYTimes