Andrew Wheeler, the former EPA Administrator who previously spent 15 years as a key staffer for Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe was picked this week by the Republican Gov.-elect to be Virginia’s next secretary of Natural Resources.
But the selection drew immediate critical response following Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin’s decision.
One Virginia Representative called Wheeler “one of the worst people” who could have been chosen. Yet another responded by saying the choice “shows a callous disregard for climate protections and environmental justice priorities.”
The two legislators didn’t like the rollbacks of Obama-era environmental protections carried out by Wheeler in the Trump administration. One went so far as to say Wheeler should have resigned after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
At the time of Wheeler’s nomination to lead the EPA, Sen. Inhofe called him the “right choice to lead the EPA.” He described him as “an unparalleled leader in energy and environmental policy.”