Andrew R. Wheeler

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Andrew R. Wheeler

Andrew R. Wheeler (born December 23, 1964 in Hamilton , Ohio ) is an American lawyer who has served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Trump cabinet since July 2018 . He was Deputy Administrator of the EPA from April to July 2018 and was promoted to the agency's new administrator following the resignation of his predecessor Scott Pruit . Previously, he worked for the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels as a representative of the coal magnate Robert E. Murray . a. as a lobbyist against the environmental regulations of the Barack Obama administration .

Life

Wheeler earned a Bachelor of Arts major in English and Biology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1987 and a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law in 1990 . In 1998 he completed a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University . From 1991 to 1995, Wheeler initially served as Assistant to the Director of Information Management in the Prevention and Toxicology Office of the Environmental Protection Agency. From January 1995 to January 1997, Wheeler served as Chief Counsel to Senator Jim Inhofe . James Inhofe was known for his climate change denial and once brought a snowball to the Senate as evidence that climate change is not real. In 1997, Wheeler joined the Senate as Chief of Staff in the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change, Wetlands and Nuclear Safety, of which Inhofe was chairman until 2001, in his first activity in Congress. He then served as Chief of Staff from 2001 to 2003, chaired by George Voinovich . From 2003 to 2009 he was Chief Counsel on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. During this period, Wheeler generally tried to reduce government regulations on industries that produce greenhouse gases .

From 2009 to 2017, Wheeler was a lobbyist in the energy and raw materials division of the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels. Since 2009 he has represented the coal producer Murray Energy , privately owned by Robert E. Murray, a supporter of President Donald Trump . Murray Energy was Wheeler's largest client, paying more than $ 300,000 to the firm from 2009 to 2017. Wheeler worked as a lobbyist against the Obama administration's climate regulations for power plants and also tried to convince the Department of Energy to subsidize coal-fired power plants. Wheeler set up a meeting between Murray and Energy Secretary Rick Perry in March 2017 . During the meeting, Murray advocated the withdrawal of environmental regulations and the protection of the coal industry.

In October 2017, Wheeler was named Deputy Environmental Protection Agency Administrator behind Scott Pruit by President Trump. In July 2018, Pruit finally resigned after a series of scandals. In was u. a. accused of holding secret meetings with industry lobbyists in his office, firing unpleasant employees and spending over $ 168,000 in public money on air travel. Wheeler himself is said to have had multiple contacts with lobbyists. Wheeler initially took over Pruitt's office as chief administrator on a provisional basis. On November 16, 2018, President Trump announced that he would appoint Wheeler as permanent administrator of the EPA. Wheeler's nomination to head the EPA was confirmed by the Senate in February 2019 with 52 votes to 47.

Positions

Wheeler is considered a critic of the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ). In 2010, he challenged the IPCC scientific consensus, claiming that the organization's positions were based on political worldview rather than scientific facts. When asked during his confirmatory hearings before the Senate as deputy director of the EPA whether he would accept the scientific consensus on climate change, Wheeler replied, "I believe humans have an impact on the climate, but what is not fully understood what the influence is. "

In March 2019, Wheeler said in an interview with Fox News that climate change is not an existential threat.

Web links

Commons : Andrew R. Wheeler  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alumni US | Case Western Reserve University (1987). Retrieved December 25, 2019 .
  2. ^ Li Zhou: The Senate just confirmed a former coal lobbyist to lead the EPA. July 5, 2018, accessed December 25, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Eric Wolff: Environmentalists: Pruitt's replacement 'should scare anyone who breathes'. Accessed December 25, 2019 .
  4. ^ A b Get To Know Andrew Wheeler, Ex-Coal Lobbyist With Inside Track To Lead EPA. Accessed December 25, 2019 .
  5. ^ Rew Restuccia, Alex Guillén, Anthony Adragna: Sources: Trump expected to tap Wheeler as EPA deputy. Accessed December 25, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Lisa Friedman: Trump Nominates a Coal Lobbyist to Be No. 2 at EPA In: The New York Times . October 5, 2017, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 25, 2019]).
  7. ^ Coral Davenport, Lisa Friedman, Maggie Haberman: EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Resigns Under a Cloud of Ethics Scandals . In: The New York Times . July 5, 2018, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 25, 2019]).
  8. ↑ Lisa Friedman: Trump Says He'll Nominate Andrew Wheeler to Head the EPA In: The New York Times . November 16, 2018, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 25, 2019]).
  9. ↑ Senate confirms acting EPA chief for permanent role. February 28, 2019, accessed December 25, 2019 .
  10. ↑ EPA: Wheeler on climate: 'I don't see it as the existential threat'. Accessed December 25, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Wheeler, Andrew R.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and government official
DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH Hamilton , Ohio