President Trump accepted EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s resignation on July 5 after months of ethics scandals plagued the former Attorney General of Oklahoma.
Pruitt cites “the unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizable toll on all of us” as the reason for stepping down in his resignation letter, but The New York Times reports that the resignation was abrupt and likely came at Trump’s request. The Times reports that the day before the resignation, Pruitt attended Independence Day parties, not showing any signs he planned to step down soon.
He is the subject of at least 13 federal legal and ethics investigations, ranging from first-class travel using taxpayer dollars to tasking his aides to perform favors for him like obtaining a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel.
…on Monday assume duties as the acting Administrator of the EPA. I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda. We have made tremendous progress and the future of the EPA is very bright!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2018
Pruitt said he did not believe humans were one of the main causes of climate change, and was the first high-ranking Trump administration official to call for exiting the Paris climate agreement, according to The Washington Post. He pushed pro-coal and fossil fuel policies and was in the process of rolling back many Obama-era environmental regulations during his tenure as administrator. In late 2017, he said federal tax credits for wind and solar energy should be eliminated, according to The Hill.
Stepping into the EPA administrator position is Andrew Wheeler, a former lobbyist for one of the nation’s largest coal companies, Murray Energy. ProPublica compiled a list of all the companies Wheeler has lobbied for, including Xcel Energy, Energy Fuels Resources and more. Wheeler said in an email to EPA employees after Pruitt’s resignation, “I look forward to working hard alongside all of you to continue our collective goal of protecting public health and the environment on behalf of the American people,” according to The Washington Post.
With Scott Pruitt out, here’s what you need to know about Andrew Wheeler,the new acting head of the EPA.He’s a coal lobbyist who has slammed climate science,but is known for playing by the rules and across the aisle.He also trashed Trump in a 2016 FB post.https://t.co/bVuZmjjWmj
— Coral Davenport (@CoralMDavenport) July 5, 2018
The New York Times reports Wheeler is seen as a Washington insider who knows how to navigate the rules on the Hill, which could mean he is more effective than Pruitt at pushing an anti-environment agenda.
Ana Unruh Cohen, managing director for government affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, echoes that point in a statement:
“Andrew Wheeler is equally unqualified to serve as the nation’s chief environmental steward. Like Pruitt, this veteran coal lobbyist has shown only disdain for the EPA’s vital mission to protect Americans’ health and our environment. Make no mistake: we’ll fight Wheeler’s pollution agenda with the same vigor as we did Pruitt’s.”
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