"President Trump said Friday that he intends to nominate former industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler as the Environmental Protection Agency’s next administrator, a move that would ensure a continued deregulatory push at the agency.
Trump made the impromptu announcement during a Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House, saying that Wheeler had done a “fantastic job” as the agency’s acting administrator in recent months. Wheeler took the helm in early July after Scott Pruitt resigned amid mounting ethics scandals.
During his brief tenure as the EPA’s acting chief, Wheeler has proved far different from the man he replaced. Where Pruitt was a politician who appeared to enjoy the limelight and trappings of Cabinet life, Wheeler has long worked behind the scenes on energy and environmental policy and generally avoids public attention. Along with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, Wheeler represents the sort of technocrat who has risen through the ranks after an initial Trump Cabinet pick stumbled."
Brady Dennis and Juliet Eilperin report for the Washington Post November 16, 2018.
SEE ALSO:
"Trump Says He’ll Nominate Andrew Wheeler to Head the E.P.A." (New York Times)
"Battle Lines Drawn For Wheeler Confirmation Fight" (E&E News PM)
"Activists Assail Andrew Wheeler, Trump’s Nominee To Lead EPA" (AP)
"‘The Man Behind The Curtain’: Interior’s No. 2 Helps Drive Trump’s Agenda" (Washington Post)
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