According to Elliott, who co-signed a pro-Graham letter to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee with nearly 100 other academics, the critics are primarily opposed to Graham's reportedly conservative politics and his insistence on quantifying the costs and benefits of proposed regulations.

Elliott served under the General Counsel to the Environmental Protection Agency during the administration of President George H. W. Bush.

He says Democrats on the Governmental Affairs Committee have told him privately that they plan on giving Graham a difficult time but may ultimately vote to confirm him.

According to Ropeik, the CSPI's questioning of the HCRA's funding and the furor over Graham's nomination relate back to the politics of a new administration getting acquainted in Washington.

"When David Brown quoted the HCRA, he got a letter from the CSPI, which is a great organization but is an avowedly liberal organization," Ropeik says.

According to Senior Lecturer on Environmental Science John Evans, who is on the faculty of the HCRA, Graham's political views might lean toward conservativism-but he disputes that he has accommodated his politics or his scientific study to the interests of the corporations who fund his work.

"I've known John since before the HCRA existed," says Evans. "Before he had a penny of anybody's money, he believed the same things he believes now."

BF: The Science of Risk