NPR

Former Coal Lobbyist On Tap For No. 2 Spot At EPA

The man hoping to help lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, is a former lobbyist for coal and natural gas companies. As a young EPA lawyer, he worked on hazardous chemical rules.

President Trump's nominee for deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, has spent much of his career working for less oversight from the agency.

A longtime aide to Sen. James Inhofe, known for his climate-denying antics on the floor of the Senate, Wheeler worked on environmental legislation for more than 15 years in various roles on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. He helped to defeat a 2008 climate bill before leaving to be a private consultant and lobbyist.

That experience will serve Wheeler well as deputy administrator, his supporters argue, as the

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