Trump Taps Wheeler For EPA Head So Prepare For Another Confirmation Fight
In a move that was long expected, President Donald Trump formally nominated Andrew Wheeler to serve as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The White House announced Wednesday the president has sent Wheeler’s nomination to the Senate.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee — which must pass Wheeler before he can get a vote on the Senate floor — is scheduled to first consider his nomination on Jan. 16, according to the committee’s website.
“I am honored and grateful that President Trump has nominated me to lead the Environmental Protection Agency,” Wheeler, who has already served as acting EPA administrator for six months, stated Wednesday. “For me, there is no greater responsibility than protecting human health and the environment, and I look forward to carrying out this essential task on behalf of the American public.”
The promotion was widely anticipated after Trump, speaking at a Medal of Freedom ceremony in November, said he intended to nominate Wheeler to the top spot.
If his nomination is successful, Wheeler’s role in the agency wouldn’t be much different from what it is now. He was formerly the deputy administrator of the EPA and became acting administrator following Scott Pruitt’s resignation in July.
Pruitt, who served as Oklahoma attorney general before Trump tapped him to lead the EPA, resigned six months ago amid mounting ethics scandals.
Since taking the reins of the EPA, Wheeler has mostly carried on Pruitt’s legacy of deregulation and extensive rollbacks of generation industry rules.
Under his tutelage, the EPA has proposed freezing auto efficiency standards, replacing carbon emission limits on power plants with softer rules, and easing restrictions on wetlands and streams.
Such moves have earned Wheeler plaudits from industry officials but have also attracted sharp criticism in environmental circles.
“The only thing Wheeler is going to protect at the EPA is the profits of polluters,” Brett Hartl, a spokesman with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, said in a statement. “I’m sure corporate boardrooms will celebrate this nomination. But for anyone who drinks water, breathes air or cares about wildlife, this will be nothing but awful.”
Given the GOP enjoys a majority in the upper chamber of Congress, Wheeler’s confirmation is likely. However, Senate confirmation battles have become increasingly partisan in the modern era.
Read more at Daily Caller
Source: https://climatechangedispatch.com/trump-nominates-wheeler-epa/
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).