Sierra Club: “Wheeler Nomination Is Absolutely Horrifying”

WASHINGTON D.C.-- Today, the Trump Administration nominated coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler to Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In response, Sierra Club’s Legislative Director Melinda Pierce released the following statement:

“Halloween apparently came early this October because the nomination of Andrew Wheeler as Deputy EPA Administrator is absolutely horrifying. There actually could not have been a worse choice for this highly influential position that is charged with protecting the health and communities of Americans across the nation.

“Andrew Wheeler is a big time lobbyist who has represented Big Coal for almost a decade, including in numerous lawsuits challenging the EPA. He is a friend to polluters, not to American families that rely on clean air and clean water. Wheeler has spent his career challenging the vital lifesaving environmental protections that keep our air and water clean so that we can keep our families safe. Wheeler is not only a key D.C. lobbyist for the coal industry, but also used to be an aide for Senator James Inhofe, one of the nation’s most backward climate science deniers. Wheeler is unfit for the job as Deputy EPA Administrator, given his obvious conflicts of interest working for the coal industry.

“Senators shouldn't get fooled- Scott Pruitt has seized the EPA and is trying to install coal lobbyists in key positions. We can’t let dirty fuel lobbyists win-- we need the Senate to draw the line and protect Americans by rejecting this nomination.”