Former Coal Lobbyist Takes Over EPA From Embattled Chief Pruitt
- Andrew Wheeler used to work for Senate’s chief climate skeptic
- Wheeler now No. 2 official at EPA and will take acting role
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The new head of the EPA is a former Senate staffer who has worked behind the scenes to quash climate change legislation and promote coal.
Andrew Wheeler, 53, now the Environmental Protection Agency’s No. 2 official, will take over Monday as acting administrator following the resignation of Scott Pruitt. Wheeler could bring a quiet effectiveness to the top job that some environmentalists say they fear will make him a more formidable foe than Pruitt.