[30], Asked in November 2018 to name three EPA policies that had contributed to cleaner air, Wheeler struggled to answer, and two of his three answers were about rollbacks of Obama administration policies intended to curb pollution. When it comes to the EPA's greenhouse gas rule, agency chief Andrew Wheeler said in a statement that the decision to exclude certain … [15], Wheeler's first job between 1991 and 1995 was as special assistant to the Information Management Division director in the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics[15][3] working on toxic chemical, pollution prevention, and right-to-know issues. Businesses and industry-association officials say the administration’s need for a change agent has given way to the need for an expert who can mobilize the bureaucracy, oversee complex rule making and forge alliances. The Environmental Protection Agency has completed one of its last major rollbacks under the Trump administration, changing how it considers evidence of harm from pollutants in a way that opponents say could cripple future public-health regulation.EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to formally announce completion of what he calls the “Strengthening Transparency in EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler has wrapped up what he calls a transparency rule. Wheeler served as deputy administrator under Pruitt before taking charge of the agency after Pruitt's resignation. From 2003 to 2009, he was chief counsel at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. [41], Wheeler published articles in the magazine Law360. Before becoming Mr. Pruitt’s deputy in the spring, Mr. Wheeler was a behind-the-scenes adviser, lobbyist and policy wonk, known for being friendly even to junior staffers and strident political foes. [8] On July 9, 2018, Wheeler became the acting administrator following the resignation of Scott Pruitt. A draft scientific assessment by the EPA had estimated that the current standards (12 micrograms per cubic meter) were "associated with 45,000 deaths" per year, but if the standards were raised (9 micrograms per cubic meter), then 12,150 lives would be saved. [33] The proposed rule was denounced by 69 scientific and medical groups (including the American Lung Association, American Medical Association, and American Psychological Association) and the editors of five leading scientific journals (Nature, Cell, PLOS One, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). ", "Senate confirms acting EPA chief for permanent role", "The Senate just confirmed a former coal lobbyist to lead the EPA", "Case Western Reserve University Alumni Graduates of 1987", "Get To Know Andrew Wheeler, Ex-Coal Lobbyist With Inside Track To Lead EPA", "Sources:Trump expected to tap Wheeler as EPA deputy", "Trump to name coal lobbyist as deputy EPA chief: report", "Trump to tap longtime coal lobbyist for EPA's No. [11], Wheeler was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on December 23, 1964. WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has blocked a last-minute rule issued by the Trump administration to limit what evidence the Environmental Protection Agency may consider as it regulates pollutants to protect public health. [11][32], In 2019, Wheeler argued in favor of a proposed EPA rule that would prohibit the EPA from using studies that do not make raw data publicly available,[33] a rule first proposed under Wheeler's predecessor, Scott Pruitt. The Daily Caller cited as evidence for its claims a memo that allegedly showed that the Obama administration pushed the authors of the report to include worst-case scenarios; FactCheck.Org noted the memo "does not show that the Obama administration pushed for certain scenarios". [35] The EPA's Science Advisory Board also pushed back against the proposal. [9][27] On October 14, 2018, The New York Times published an op-ed against Wheeler's proposal to denigrate the public health benefits of reducing air pollution, aimed at a 2011 Obama administration finding that saw this as an asset to any information in controlling a particular pollutant. The Trump administration has dismantled nearly 100 policies focused on clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals, and left more than a dozen rollbacks … [3] In 1997, Wheeler entered his first work in Congress as majority staff director at the US Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change, Wetlands, and Nuclear Safety, which Inhofe chaired until 2001; thereafter he was minority staff director under Chairman George Voinovich from 2001 to 2003. [21] Murray Energy was Wheeler's best-paying client, paying at least $300,000,[4] and possibly as much as $3,300,000[22] during the period 2009–2017. [3] Wheeler set up a meeting between Murray and Energy Secretary Rick Perry in March 2017; at the meeting, Murray advocated for the rollback of environmental regulations and for protections for the coal industry. [4] Wheeler is a critic of limits on greenhouse gas emissions and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [16], From January 1995 until January 1997, Wheeler worked as Chief Counsel of Senator Jim Inhofe. EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler has wrapped up what he calls a transparency rule. Andrew R. Wheeler (born December 23, 1964) is an American attorney who served as the 15th administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2019 to 2021. Instead, the research should focus on new alternative test methods. He served as the deputy administrator from April to July 2018, and served as the acting administrator from July 2018 to February 2019. [44] He is Vice President of the Washington Coal Club. [18][19] Since 2009, he represented the coal producer Murray Energy,[20] privately owned by Robert E. Murray, a supporter of President Trump. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that the agency had relied on “secret science” and the ... like many Trump-era environmental rollbacks… [43], Wheeler is Chairman Emeritus of the National Energy Resources Organization. [4][23], In October 2017, Wheeler was nominated by President Trump to become Deputy Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. You’re bringing in the mechanic who’s been under the hood and understood how things have worked for years,” said Rich Gold, head of the public-policy group at Holland & Knight LLP, a law and lobbying firm. EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler has wrapped up what he calls a transparency rule. [1] He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, with majors in English and biology, from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1987;[13] and a Juris Doctor degree from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, in 1990. His acting replacement as EPA administrator, Andrew Wheeler, has been a Washington insider for almost 30 years. [36], In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the EPA declared that for an indefinite amount of time, it would generally not fine companies for violating environment regulations for "routine compliance monitoring [of pollution], integrity testing, sampling, laboratory analysis, training, and reporting or certification obligations", if the EPA agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused the violation. “I do want to be a stabilizing force,” he said during an interview with The Wall Street Journal. The Biden White House on Wednesday issued a memo that could halt Trump administration rules that had not yet gone into effect, stopping several environmental rollbacks … [5], In October 2017, Wheeler was nominated by President Donald Trump,[6] renominated in January 2018,[7] and confirmed as Deputy Administrator of the EPA in April 2018. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a prepared statement Wednesday that the agency has set realistic standards “that will reduce emissions as … Wheeler declared that this was a "honest accounting method", while the Trump administration took the stance that mercury cleanup was not "appropriate and necessary". [14] In 1998, he completed a Master of Business Administration degree at George Mason University. [29], In 2018, after a National Climate Assessment report about the impact of climate change in the United States was released by the Trump administration (which had been in the works for several years, stretching into the Obama presidency), the EPA under Wheeler's tenure dismissed the report's findings. Says It Will Drastically Reduce Animal Testing", "E.P.A., Citing Coronavirus, Drastically Relaxes Rules for Polluters", "Trump administration allows companies to break pollution laws during coronavirus pandemic", "EPA guts rule credited with cleaning up coal-plant toxic air", "Wheeler Touts 'Cost Effective' EPA But Downplays Bite Of Rollbacks | InsideEPA.com", "Reports: Trump to nominate coal lobbyist Wheeler to deputy EPA slot", "EPA: Wheeler on climate: 'I don't see it as the existential threat, "Coal Lobbyist Could Be Next EPA Deputy Administrator", Administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_R._Wheeler&oldid=1004129216, Administrators of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington University School of Law alumni, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 1 February 2021, at 05:28. [17][4], During his time at the Senate, Wheeler was named by the National Journal as one of the Top Congressional Staff Leaders in 2005 and was a John C. Stennis Congressional Staff Fellow in the 106th Congress. Andrew R. Wheeler (born December 23, 1964) is an American attorney who served as the 15th administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2019 to 2021. His nomination was resubmitted and he was confirmed as Deputy Administrator of the EPA on April 12, 2018, by a mostly party-line vote of 53–45, which included three Democratic senators: Joe Manchin, Heidi Heitkamp, and Joe Donnelly. [24] Justina Fugh, an EPA ethics official, said that Wheeler's meetings with former lobbying clients did not violate the Trump administration's ethics pledge, because Wheeler had not worked on their behalf in the two years prior to joining the EPA. Mr. Wheeler, 53, says he wants to avoid the distractions that have plagued the EPA in recent months. He previously worked in the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, representing coal magnate Robert E. Murray and lobbying against the Obama Administration's environmental regulations. He left Wheeler as the acting head of the agency. [17] Senator James Inhofe was prominent for his rejection of climate change, and famously brought a snowball to the Senate as alleged proof that climate change was not real. [25] Vermont senator Bernie Sanders said he was "vigorously opposed" to Wheeler replacing Pruitt. [33], In September 2019, Wheeler signed a directive to prioritize efforts to reduce animal testing. “Andy is a serious person and is much more formidable to environmentalists and Democrats in terms of finalizing agency actions that can survive challenges.”, allegiance to President Donald Trump’s deregulatory agenda, Macy's coupon - Sign up to get 25% off next order, 20% off first order - Saks Fifth Avenue coupon, Save 25% on Quilted Puffer Vest with Old Navy coupon, New Rule on 401(k) Rollovers Takes Effect, Swapping a Manhattan Apartment for an RV Hits a Few Bumps, Covid-19 Vaccine: What You Need to Know When You Get the Shot, Opinion: Acquittal Vindicated the Constitution, Not Trump, Opinion: Biden’s Rough Start With the World, Opinion: The Political Making of a Texas Power Outage, New Orleans Residents Relying on Tourism Dollars Fight to Stay Afloat, New Security Video Shows How Close Capitol Rioters Came to Lawmakers, Inflatable ICU: South Korea’s Answer to Potential Covid-19 Bed Shortages, Meet the Investors Taking Tips From Social Media, News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. [3] Wheeler served as chief counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and to the chairman U.S. senator James Inhofe, prominent for his rejection of climate change. [6] His nomination was returned to the White House on January 3, 2018 as the Senate had adjourned at the end of 2017 without taking up the nomination (Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6[7]). [39], Also in April 2020, the EPA weakened mercury regulation in the United States by drastically curtailing the health benefits considered in calculations for making future regulations. The goal is to reduce its requests for, and funding of, mammal studies by 30% by 2025 and eliminate all mammal study requests and funding by 2035, though some may still be approved on a case-by-case basis. Wheeler received the Agency's bronze medal in 1993 and twice in 1994. [21] When asked if he accepted the scientific consensus on climate change during his confirmation hearings as Deputy Director of the EPA, Wheeler answered, "I believe that man has an impact on the climate but what's not completely understood is what the impact is. “I do want to be a stabilizing force,” he said during an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Wheeler, 53, says he wants to avoid the distractions that have plagued the EPA in recent months. Former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler introduced Pruitt before he made his remarks. [8], Since being sworn in, Wheeler has had at least three meetings with former lobbying clients of his in a potential violation of the Trump administration's ethics pledge and the promises that Wheeler made during his confirmation hearing. Gone is Scott Pruitt, an outsider who became famous for multiple scandals, political ambition and antagonizing the agency he led. Wheeler said that the EPA "recognizes challenges resulting from efforts to protect workers and the public from Covid-19 may directly impact the ability of regulated facilities to meet all federal regulatory requirements. 2 at E.P.A. [9] On November 16, 2018, President Trump announced he would nominate Wheeler to serve as the EPA's permanent administrator. [34] A bipartisan group of former EPA administrators, testifying before the House Energy Subcommittee on Oversight, also criticized proposals to restrict the use of science in EPA decision making. Wheeler lobbied against the Obama administration's climate regulations for power plants and also sought to persuade the Energy Department to subsidize coal plants. [6] During this time, Wheeler generally sought to reduce government regulations on industries that generate greenhouse gases. Mr. Wheeler takes over an agency beleaguered by conflict, at a time when it seeks to shift from announcing rollbacks to more detailed policy work to make those rollbacks stick. The draft of the new rule stated Wheeler placed "little weight on quantitative estimates" of deaths caused by fine soot pollution, reported the New York Times. Trump officials, including then-EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler, argued that the new rule would provide the public with greater insight into the scientific basis for new regulations. [33][34] The proposal could prevent EPA from using many important studies underpinning various regulations, including regulations on air pollution. After the publication of that report, numerous industries, including oil and coal companies, automakers and chemical manufacturers, urged the Trump administration to disregard the findings and not tighten the rule.