Washington, DC – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement on the nomination of Andrew Wheeler to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
“The EPA continues to be a poster agency for regulatory capture by polluters. I hoped Scott Pruitt’s policy dirty work would dry up after he left the EPA in disgrace, but proposals like the forthcoming rule to weaken or eliminate protections against mercury emissions make it clear Andrew Wheeler plans to continue that capture with rollbacks of vital environmental protections. In the confirmation process to come, I look forward to delving deeper into Mr. Wheeler’s ties to regulated industries, and how those ties have informed his decision making on issues that directly benefit those industries’ bottom lines.”
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