NEW YORK (AP)  -- Gov. David Paterson asked the president Wednesday to extend the term of the official overseeing the federal government's response to ailing ground zero workers.

John Howard's appointment as director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health expires Saturday. The Bush administration hasn't announced a successor or said whether he will be retained. A call Wednesday to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which oversees NIOSH, wasn't immediately returned.

Paterson said Howard ``played a pivotal role'' in coordinating health programs for ground zero workers. His departure could jeopardize those efforts, the governor said.

Howard has held the post for six years. He has expressed interest in staying and was set this week to discuss his status with the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lawmakers and Sept. 11 health advocates have supported keeping Howard in place. They say his departure would sap momentum from their efforts to obtain greater federal coverage for thousands of workers who became ill after being exposed to dust at the World Trade Center site.

``Reappointing Dr. Howard would show the American people that the administration is serious about keeping workers safe,'' U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said Wednesday.

Late last year, the government halted an effort to organize health monitoring for ground zero workers spread around the U.S., saying the program could cost far more money than Congress has provided.

Estimates on how much treatment these workers need _ and how much it will cost _ vary widely. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have put the figure at around $400 million a year.