A former staffer for Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has been nominated by President Trump to become a Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
If Andrew Wheeler is confirmed, he would be a right-hand man to Scott Pruitt, the former Oklahoma Attorney General who became the EPA Administrator earlier in the year.
At one point in his career, Wheeler was the Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee when it was chaired by Sen. Inhofe.
“I am pleased that President Trump has nominated Andrew Wheeler to serve as Deputy Administrator at the EPA,” said Inhofe. “There is no one more qualified than Andrew to help Scott Pruitt restore EPA to its proper size and scope.”
He praised Wheeler’s time as Staff Director saying he provided him with “invaluable guidance and in turn became a close friend.” Before joining Inhofe’s staff, he had worked for the EPA. Following this time at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he became a lobbyist for Murray Energy, the largest privately owned coal company in the U.S. according to a report in the Washington Examiner.