Senate confirms top EPA enforcement official

Bodine will serve as assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, leading the agency's enforcement actions against polluters.

In September, two senators threatened to hold up her confirmation out of concern that she was serving as special counsel to Pruitt while she waited out the confirmation process, a possible violation of a federal law, and because she was slow to respond to Senate Democrats' oversight queries.

Democratic Senator Tom Carper of Delaware said on Thursday that he was "satisfied" with the responses she and EPA officials sent, clearing the way for her confirmation.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Susan Thomas)