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Empresas y finanzas

White House seeks new USDA environmental nominee


    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is seeking a new nominee to oversee the national forests and land stewardship programs at the Agriculture Department following the withdrawal of Homer Wilkes.

    Wilkes withdrew his nomination for personal reasons, a White House spokesman said on Monday. A replacement has yet to be nominated as the USDA's undersecretary for natural resources, one of the top environmental posts in the federal government.

    The undersecretary's portfolio includes the 193- million-acre national forest system and stewardship programs that help farmers and ranchers reduce erosion, protect water purity and preserve wildlife habitat, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program.

    Wilkes, a 28-year employee of the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, withdrew his nomination last week.

    Also last week, the White House nominated John Norris, chief of staff for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

    (Reporting by Charles Abbott; Editing by Marguerita Choy)