Waste Management cited internal changes as its reason for changing to E&Y.  "This is a new Waste Management with a new executive team pursuing a new strategy," said A. Maurice Myers, Chairman, president and CEO of the Houston-based waste management services provider. "The selection of Ernst & Young is one more step in firmly establishing a new Waste Management."

Myers noted that the current Andersen team on Waste Management's account had done a professional job. "We simply feel that our responsibility to our shareholders dictated a review of our outside auditor at this time," he said.

As many may recall, Andersen recently agreed to pay part of a $220 million class-action settlement and a $7 million SEC fine in a case in which Waste Management overstated its income by more than $1 billion.

The company said E&Y, as an independent auditor, will only provide auditing-related services to Waste Mangement. E&Y will begin work immediately and the audit team will be headquartered in Houston.

Meanwhile, more companies announced Friday their intentions to replace Andersen with another auditing firm:

• Jacksonville, Fla-based PSS World Medical (KPMG)
• Houston-based BMC Software (Ernst & Young)
• White Plains, NY-based ITT Industries, Inc. (Deloitte & Touche)
• Boston-based DEXX Laboratories, Inc. (PricewaterhouseCoopers)
• Houston-based independent oil and gas producer Apache Corporation (undecided)
• Chicago-based multi-bank holding company, Northern Trust Corp. (undecided)
• Chicago-based Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. (undecided)

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