Trump nominates Wheeler to helm EPA: Update

Updates with reaction from Democrats

President Donald Trump today formally named Andrew Wheeler to serve as the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The White House submitted Wheeler's nomination to the US Senate, two months after he first announced his intention to do so. Wheeler has been serving as acting administrator of the agency since July, after former agency chief Scott Pruitt resigned following months of scandals.

Wheeler, who has lobbied for the coal industry, is likely to face strong opposition from Democrats and environmental groups, but his nomination comes after Republicans increased their majority in the Senate, giving them some breathing room to secure the needed votes for confirmation.

"Acting administrator Wheeler has done an outstanding job leading EPA and is well qualified to run the agency on a permanent basis. I will work with committee members to get him confirmed," Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) said.

Also helping Wheeler is the fact he has managed to avoid the types of spending and travel controversies that dogged his predecessor, while continuing efforts to dismantle environmental regulations put in place by EPA under former president Barack Obama.

That has made Wheeler popular with industry officials and Republicans in Congress, who worried Pruitt's behavior had become too great of a distraction.

The top Democrat on the environment committee, senator Tom Carper of Delaware, did not immediately say he would oppose Wheeler, but said Trump's nominee had failed to remedy "some of Scott Pruitt's most egregious actions and proposals" as acting administrator.

"I have been very disappointed in acting administrator Wheeler's performance with regard to making progress on those issues and to charting a new course for the agency's future," Carper said.

Other Democrats on the panel were more direct in their assessment of Wheeler.

"Trump is nominating ex-coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler to ensure that EPA never works as its mission dictates. It makes no sense to nominate Wheeler now, or ever," US senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts).

Environmentalists were quick to oppose Wheeler's nomination today, citing recent EPA efforts to weaken federal regulations for CO2 and mercury emissions from power plants, as well as clean water standards affecting coal mines. Many groups also say Wheeler's past work as lobbyist for coal producers and other energy companies should disqualify him for the job.

"Mr. Wheeler fully embraces President Trump's anti-environmental agenda. His policies will lead to dirtier air and water and unchecked climate pollution," Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp said.