Wheeler Attacks Obama Admin’s Policies, Then Ridiculously Takes Credit for Their Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Former coal lobbyist and acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Andrew Wheeler shamelessly took credit for the Obama Administration’s environmental achievements today when he touted Greenhouse Gas Reduction (GHG) numbers for 2017. The reductions in carbon pollution and other heat trapping gases was largely due to the clean air and water protections the Obama Administration put into place and the tireless advocacy of the Sierra Club and its allies across the United States.  

These efforts have resulted in more than half of the United States coal fired power plants retiring, or announcing their retirement, since 2010 and stronger fuel efficiency standards in the transportation industry, both of which are the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution. Since Trump was elected more than three dozen coal plants have retired, despite Wheeler’s ongoing attacks against the protections and advocacy campaigns actually responsible for the United States’ reductions in greenhouse gas pollution.

In response, Liz Perera, Sierra Club’s Director of Climate Policy, released  the following statement:

“It’s laughable that former coal lobbyist and acting EPA administrator Wheeler first refuses to do his job, and then tries to take credit for the job someone else did. America’s greenhouse gas reductions in 2017 are due to the Obama Administration’s climate policies and the tireless work of activists across our country. It’s ridiculous and insulting that the very person currently shredding the Obama era policies responsible for the greenhouse gas reductions is now trying to hoodwink the American people into believing his anti-environmental policies are responsible for the reductions. It seems that Donald Trump is not the only person in his Administration that flies fast and loose on facts and honesty.”