Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted to advance the nomination of Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler to be EPA Administrator.
In his first 100 days as Acting EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler took numerous actions to harm public health and the environment on average every three days. Using documents produced by a recent Sierra Club FOIA request CNN and Reuters reported that Wheeler is heavily preferring meetings with industry, attending more than 50 meetings with companies or industry groups the EPA regulates between April and August of last year, including Darling Ingredients, a company he previously lobbied for.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
"Andrew Wheeler is worse than a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he’s a coal lobbyist masquerading as the EPA Administrator. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee should have voted unanimously to reject the nomination of a fossil fuel lobbyist who has spent his career undermining the vital safeguards that keep our air and water clean. As his nomination moves to the Senate floor, we urge Senators to consider the clean air and water protections their constituents rely on, among them safeguards from toxic mercury, PFAS pollution, and emissions from cars and trucks, and vote no on this dangerous nomination.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.