Andrew Wheeler
Andrew Wheeler was the acting Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources. He assumed office on January 15, 2022. He left office on March 12, 2022.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) appointed Wheeler Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources on January 5, 2022, to replace Ann Jennings. As of this writing, Wheeler served in an acting capacity pending confirmation from the Virginia General Assembly.[1][2]
Wheeler also served as the 15th Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator. He was a member of President Donald Trump's (R) administration.
The Senate voted to confirm Wheeler as EPA administrator by a vote of 52-47, mostly along party lines on February 28, 2019. Wheeler served as acting EPA administrator from July 2018 to February 2019. He served as EPA administrator from February 28, 2019, to January 20, 2021.[3] As EPA administrator, Wheeler was responsible for shaping federal environmental policy under the Trump administration.
Wheeler was the EPA deputy administrator from April to July 2018. Before serving as deputy administrator, Wheeler worked as a lobbyist for the energy industry and as a staffer in the U.S. Senate.[4]
Biography
Before working for the EPA during the Trump administration, Wheeler worked as a lobbyist for FaegreBD Consulting and as an attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels.[4] Before that, he served as general counsel to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). He also served as staff director and chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the U.S. Senate Subcommittee for Clean Air Wetlands and Nuclear Safety. He worked for the EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics under Presidents George H. W. Bush (R) and Bill Clinton (D).[5]
Wheeler received his bachelor's degree from Case Western Reserve University, his J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, and his M.B.A. from George Mason University. He was born in Hamilton, Ohio.[6]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Wheeler's academic, professional, and political career:[7]
- January 15, 2022 - March 12, 2022: Acting Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources
- February 28, 2019-January 20, 2021: Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- July 9, 2018-February 28, 2019: Acting Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- April 12, 2018-July 9, 2018: Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- 2009-April 12, 2018: Worked for the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels
- 1995-2009: Worked in various staff positions in the U.S. Senate
- 1991-1995: Worked in the Environmental Protection Agency's Pollution Prevention and Toxics office
EPA administrator
President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Wheeler as EPA administrator on November 16, 2018. During a White House ceremony for Medal of Freedom recipients, Trump said, "He's done a fantastic job and I want to congratulate him." Trump formally nominated Wheeler on January 9, 2019.[8][9]
The Senate confirmed Wheeler as EPA administrator by a vote of 52-47, mostly along party lines on February 28, 2019.[10]
| Nomination tracker | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate: Andrew Wheeler | ||
| Position: Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | ||
| Confirmation progress | ||
 | Announced: | January 9, 2019 |
| Hearing: | January 16, 2019 |
| Committee: | Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works |
| Reported: | February 5, 2019 (11-10) |
| Confirmed: | February 28, 2019 |
| Vote: | 52-47 |
Confirmation vote
The Senate voted to confirm Wheeler as EPA administrator by a vote of 52-47, mostly along party lines on February 28, 2019. Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined 46 members of the Democratic caucus in voting against Wheeler's nomination.[10]
After being confirmed, Wheeler wrote in a tweet, "It is truly humbling to serve the American public as EPA Administrator. I want to thank President Trump for nominating me and Leader McConnell and [Senate Natural Resources Committee] Chairman [John] Barrasso for navigating my confirmation through the Senate. I am deeply honored, and I look forward to continuing the President’s agenda and the work of the Agency alongside all my EPA colleagues."[11]
| Andrew Wheeler confirmation vote, February 28, 2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for |
Votes against  |
Total votes |
 Democrats |
0 | 44 | 44 |
 Republicans |
52 | 1 | 53 |
 Independents |
0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total Votes | 52 | 47 | 99 |
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing for Wheeler on January 16, 2019.[12]
During the hearing, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) asked Wheeler if he agreed with Trump that climate change was a hoax.[13]
Wheeler replied, “I believe that climate change is real. I believe that man has an impact on it. I have not used the ‘hoax’ word myself.”[13]
Sanders, citing scientific reports on climate change, asked Wheeler if he thought climate change was the nation’s greatest crisis.[13]
Wheeler replied, “I would not call it the greatest crisis, no sir. I consider it a huge issue that has to be addressed globally.”[13]
The committee advanced his nomination by a vote of 11-10 on February 5, 2019.[14]
Acting EPA administrator
Wheeler was named by President Donald Trump as acting EPA administrator on July 5, 2018, when Trump announced that he had accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt, the sitting administrator. Wheeler officially took over on July 9, 2018. He served in this position until his confirmation as EPA administrator on February 28, 2019.
Deputy administrator of the EPA
Wheeler was named by President Donald Trump as his choice for EPA deputy administrator on October 5, 2017. The United States Senate confirmed Wheeler as the EPA deputy administrator on April 12, 2018.[15]
Senate vote
On April 12, 2018, the Senate confirmed Wheeler by a vote of 53-45. Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) were the only Democrats to vote for Wheeler's confirmation.
| Andrew Wheeler confirmation vote, April 12, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes for |
Votes against |
Total votes |
| Democrats |
3 | 43 | 46 |
| Republicans |
50 | 0 | 50 |
| Independents |
0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total Votes | 53 | 45 | 98 |
Support and opposition for Wheeler's nomination
The following is a collection of statements made in support of and in opposition to Wheeler's confirmation as EPA deputy administrator.
Support
| “ | Andrew Wheeler is well-qualified for the critically important role of deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. His wealth of experience at the EPA, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector have prepared him for this leadership position. Now that the Senate has confirmed Mr. Wheeler, he can get to work advancing policies to protect America’s air, land, water, and communities.[16] | ” |
| —Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works[17] | ||
| “ | He has the experience and the expertise necessary to manage the agency and to make sure that the reforms undertaken by Administrator Pruitt will be fully implemented. [HIs] experience in how the EPA operates and his commitment to President Trump's agenda to undo the regulatory onslaught of the previous administration will be valuable to his work managing and reforming the agency.[16] | ” |
| —Myron Ebell, a senior fellow at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute[18] | ||
| “ | We urge the Senate to confirm Mr. Wheeler without delay so that he can begin contributing to the important work EPA does to protect human health and the environment. His leadership and expertise, combined with the vital work already being done by Administrator Pruitt and the dedicated staff at EPA, will help the agency continue its important implementation of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act and help ensure sound science is at the heart of its regulatory decision making.[16] | ” |
| —American Chemistry Council[19] | ||
Opposition
| “ | Mr. Wheeler ... is a former industry lobbyist who has worked on behalf of big polluters and climate-change deniers. He has spent years working to undermine or lobby against the environmental protections he may soon oversee. As a lobbyist, he helped raise money for a few Republican senators who sit on the committee that recently approved his nomination.[16] | ” |
| —Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Minority Leader[18] | ||
| “ | Before the Trump administration, it would have been inconceivable that a coal and chemical industry lobbyist with a long history of hostility toward environmental policy would be the number two at the EPA. The EPA may need to add more office space to accommodate Mr. Wheeler. I'm not sure there's enough room in its current digs to fit another shill from the coal and chemical industries.[16] | ” |
| —Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group[15] | ||
| “ | The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment, but Andrew Wheeler has dedicated his career to weakening environmental protections, serving as a lobbyist for numerous fossil fuel clients, including one of our country's biggest polluters, Murray Energy. Andrew Wheeler's inherent conflicts of interest from his long history of ties to the fossil fuel industry make him an entirely inappropriate choice for EPA's number two leadership role.[16] | ” |
| —Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters[18] | ||
See also
| Virginia | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia Mercury, "Trump EPA head, coal lobbyist tapped as Virginia’s environmental chief," January 5, 2022
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Senate Democrats put Wheeler’s bid for Youngkin’s Cabinet in limbo," February 8, 2022
- ↑ Twitter, "Natasha Bertrand," January 20, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Politico, "The man who could replace Scott Pruitt," May 5, 2018
- ↑ Environmental Protection Agency, "Andrew Wheeler Nominated as EPA Deputy Administrator," October 5, 2017
- ↑ Environmental Protection Agency, "EPA's Deputy Administrator," accessed July 5, 2018
- ↑ Environmental Protection Agency, "EPA's Deputy Administrator," accessed July 5, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Trump to nominate former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler as next EPA administrator," November 16, 2018
- ↑ WhiteHouse.gov, "Six Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 9, 2019
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Senate.gov, "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Andrew Wheeler, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency)," accessed March 1, 2019
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate confirms Wheeler to lead EPA," February 28, 2019
- ↑ EPW.Senate.gov, "Hearing on the Nomination of Andrew Wheeler to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency," January 11, 2019
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 The Hill, "Bernie Sanders presses Wheeler to confront climate 'crisis,'" January 16, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate panel advances Wheeler’s nomination to be EPA chief," February 5, 2019
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 CNN, "Former Inhofe aide Wheeler confirmed as EPA's No. 2," April 12, 2018
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, "Senate Confirms Andrew Wheeler as Deputy Administrator of the EPA," April 12, 2018
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 The Washington Post, "Senate confirms a former coal lobbyist as Scott Pruitt's second-in-command at EPA," April 12, 2018
- ↑ American Chemistry Council, "ACC Urges Senate to Confirm EPA Deputy Administrator Nominee," April 10, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ann Jennings |
Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources (acting) 2022 - 2022 |
Succeeded by NA |
| Preceded by Scott Pruitt |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2019-2021 |
Succeeded by David Huizenga (acting) |
| ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
