Andrew Wheeler was confirmed (PN1426) as the Deputy Administrator of the EPA by the Senate in a 53-45 vote today (4/12/18). Wheeler was a lobbyist whose clients included Murray Energy, the largest coal company in the country. He also worked for Sen. Inhofe, who commented that Wheeler would help Pruitt and Trump make the EPA “subject to the rule of law.” (Inhofe lacks a sense of irony.)
Three Democrats, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia voted with the Republicans.
Two of them explained their votes:
- Heidi Heitkamp said, “Going forward, I’ll continue to press him about changing the Waters of the U.S. rule that doesn’t work for our state, supporting a strong Renewable Fuel Standard which is critical for North Dakota’s farmers and biofuels workers, and reversing the one-size-fits-all Clean Power Plan. I also want to work with him and the EPA to support policies that advance a viable future for coal while reducing emissions, just as my FUTURE Act which became law will do. And I’ll hold Mr. Wheeler accountable to make sure he implements the mission of the EPA in a way that works for my state.”
- Joe Manchin said, “Every West Virginian wants clean air and clean water and I intend to be vigilant in working with the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that our fundamental environmental protections are implemented in a sound, fair and effective way. I believe that the economy and the environment can and must be balanced. After meeting with Andrew Wheeler, I believe that he will work with states like West Virginia, not against us.”
- Joe Donnelly didn’t say anything I could find about this vote.
All three face re-election in red states that Trump won in 2016. West Virginia produces coal and Trump promised to revive the coal industry. That’s about as likely as reviving the buggy whip industry. Given Pruitt’s large number of scandals and poor spending decisions, Wheeler may become the EPA Administrator soon imminently.
The Democrats can be tweeted at:
@SenDonnelly
@SenatorHeitkamp
@Sen_JoeManchin
Senators Duckworth (D-IL) and McCain (R-AZ) did not vote.