Senator says EPA exodus signals aversion to Bush policies

Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member James Jeffords, I-Vt., is pointing to the recent departure of Environmental Protection Agency enforcement officials to show the administration has lost the faith of agency staff.

"These resignations are merely the latest in an ongoing exodus of top enforcement officials who are no longer comfortable with the direction of the agency's enforcement program," Jeffords said in a statement.

Jeffords' comments come on the heels of the sudden resignation of EPA's embattled enforcement chief J.P. Suarez Monday.

A number of seasoned enforcement officials have left the agency in the past year, causing speculation regarding morale and the office's direction.