ICYMI: Wheeler Met With Polluters After Taking Acting Administrator Position

According to former coal lobbyist and acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s schedule, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by E&E, he met with several polluters in his first month. These included  executives for the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, BP America, Delta Air Lines and Valero Energy Corp.

Since he became acting Administrator, Wheeler has taken action that harms public health on average of every three days.

According to the calendar, Peter Wright and Chad McIntosh, two industry professionals who are serving as Wheeler’s special counsel and who have also been nominated to direct EPA offices, attended high-level meetings, covering the duties of the job they have been nominated but not confirmed for. They attended these meetings despite assurance from a top EPA ethics official that "Neither will be performing any duties that are reserved for the position for which they have been nominated,"

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

“These calendars prove former coal lobbyist and acting EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler can’t and won’t let go of his corporate polluter past. With each passing day, it has become more apparent that Wheeler shows the same signs of ethical misconduct as Scott Pruitt, disregarding ethics and conflict of interest concerns while meeting with big polluters and pushing their dirty policies. Meanwhile, the public interest is left behind in the smog produced by his dangerous agenda. The Senate should reject the Andrew Wheeler’s dangerous nomination.”