Top coal lobbyist could quickly become EPA chief, thanks to Pruitts scandals

Democrats are calling for a full Senate vote on Andrew Wheeler's nomination to be delayed.

MARK HAND APR 11, 2018, 4:10 PM

Concern about President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as the No. 2 official at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has intensified as lawmakers sense Administrator Scott Pruitt’s tenure is nearing an end.

The nomination of Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist and climate science denier, to be EPA’s deputy administrator was approved by a Senate committee in January. The full Senate is expected to vote on his nomination to be deputy administrator in the coming days.

Considering the long list of alleged ethics violations and misconduct facing Pruitt, the EPA could very well be without a permanent administrator any day now. Many Washington observers are surprised that Pruitt still has his job. But he has yet to fall out of favor with Trump, who has been lobbied heavily by conservatives to keep Pruitt on as administrator.

With concern growing that Wheeler could be next in line to take over the EPA, Democrats are calling for a full Senate vote on Wheeler’s nomination to be delayed.

https://thinkprogress.org/senate-nears-vote-on-epa-nominee-andrew-wheeler-020bcf77fea0/