Senate Republicans stonewall Obama's EPA nominee WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans boycotted a committee vote Thursday morning on President Obama's nomination of Gina McCarthy to head the Environmental Protection Agency, prompting accusations of obstructionism from Democrats and calls to reform Senate rules. Republican members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said McCarthy has not adequately responded to their requests for information. Democrats noted McCarthy has been asked more than 1,000 questions - which they said was a record number. "At this stage, their opposition, even to allowing us to vote, shows how far outside the mainstream they are," Chairwoman Barbara Boxer said. It shows how obstructionist they are; it shows their pledge to do better with women voters is false. At that post, she implemented new regulations of carbon-emission standards in cars and light trucks, and cut mercury from power plant emissions. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has called her regulatory agenda "radical," and Republicans have accused her of destroying jobs. Republicans" requests for information have focused on the EPA's use of private emails to conduct official business. They have made "reasonable and basic requests" along those lines that McCarthy has failed to fulfill, Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, the ranking Republican on the committee, said in a Thursday statement. Boxer said she would review all available options, "including changing the rules of this committee," to pass McCarthy's nomination to the full Senate, where it could face more difficulties.