Andrew Wheeler, the former coal industry lobbyist who led EPA under former President Donald Trump, is now slated to head Virginia’s Department of Natural Resources.

Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) nominated Wheeler to the post Wednesday, setting off a storm of criticism from Virginia Democrats and environmental advocates.

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) tweeted that “Wheeler is one of the worst people the governor-elect could have chosen for the job.”

“Putting an anti-environment ideologue in this important position would be a far cry from the kind of consensus-based, pragmatic leadership the governor-elect promised,” Beyer said in an attached statement.

“This nomination is extremely disappointing,” seconded Sarah Francisco, director of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Virginia office. “As a former head of EPA in the Trump administration and former coal industry lobbyist, Mr. Wheeler has a record of weakening fundamental safeguards for clean water and healthy air and opposing common-sense efforts to tackle climate change.”

Youngkin’s announcement of the nomination praised Wheeler’s “extensive experience and passion” and his dedication “to advancing sound environmental policies.”

Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin | Youngkin for Governor

Wheeler shares “my vision in finding new ways to innovate and use our natural resources to provide Virginia with a stable, dependable and growing power supply that will meet Virginia’s power demands without passing the costs on to the consumer,” Youngkin said.

Following his victory over Democrat Terry McAuliffe in November, Youngkin named Wheeler as part of his transition team, specifically as part of the Natural and Historic Resources group.

Under Virginia’s constitution, both houses of the General Assembly must confirm Wheeler and other potential cabinet members. While Wheeler may face little opposition in the Republican-led House of Delegates, he could hit a wall in the Senate, where Democrats still hold a 21-19 advantage.

Citing Wheeler’s “well established record from his time in the Trump administration,” Harry Godfrey, executive director of Virginia Advanced Energy Economy, said “it is vital that the Senate consider that record and determine whether it aligns with the policy direction that the General Assembly has established in recent years,” such as the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA).

Sen. Scott Surovell (D) told the Virginia Mercury that while Senate Democrats have not discussed the nomination, “I think a lot of our members are going to have very serious concerns.”

Surovell also cautioned that “any Republican member who’s in any kind of competitive suburban seat would really need to think twice about voting for someone like [Wheeler] given where Virginia’s been leading on environmental policy.”

Wheeler’s nomination could be the first test of the Senate’s ability to push back on Youngkin’s efforts to slow the state’s progress toward the VCEA’s goal of a 100% clean energy supply by 2050. For example, the governor-elect has vowed to take Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) via an executive order. The initiative is a multistate carbon market aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions across 11 New England and Mid-Atlantic states.

A General Assembly vote approved the state’s membership in RGGI; any move by Youngkin to rescind that approval by executive order could also spark opposition. Similarly, the Senate is seen as a firewall to forestall any attempt to repeal the VCEA.

Wheeler’s Record

Wheeler’s environmental record goes back to his work as chief counsel for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), an outspoken climate change denier, from 1995 to 1997. He also worked a lobbyist for the coal industry from 2009 to 2017 at the law firm of Faegre Baker Daniels (now Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath).

In 2018, when he was the EPA’s acting administrator, Wheeler drew criticism for discounting the findings of the National Climate Assessment, begun during the Obama administration, claiming the report “pushed” a worst-case scenario. During his confirmation hearings to be the official administrator in 2019, he skirted repeated questions from Democratic senators on his views on climate change.

When pressed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Wheeler called climate change “a global issue that must be addressed globally,” but not “the greatest crisis. … I consider it a huge issue that has to be addressed globally.” (See Dems Press Wheeler on Climate at Confirmation Hearing.)

Once confirmed, Wheeler weakened or rolled back a number of former President Barack Obama’s key environmental initiatives, such as the Clean Power Plan, aimed at reducing carbon emissions from power plants, and regulations requiring coal plants to clean up coal ash ponds. Working with the Department of Transportation, Wheeler’s EPA in 2020 also froze fuel efficiency standards to a fleet average of 32 mpg by 2026.

Current EPA Administrator Michael Regan recently issued new rules, resetting the target for 40 mpg by 2026. (See EPA Rules Will Slash Emissions, Rev up EV Market by 2026.)

‘Not the Right Fit for Virginia’

The Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club called on Youngkin to withdraw the nomination.

The “reckless” nomination “is proof that Youngkin is willing to sell out our communities and our clean air and water for corporate profits,” said Kate West, chapter head. “In lieu of withdrawal, Democrats must use their [Senate] majority to prevent one of the most dangerous appointments in our state’s history.”

Del. Dan Helmer (D) tweeted that Wheeler’s record at EPA is “disqualifying,” vowing to “fight this nomination tooth and nail.”

“Anyone with [Wheeler’s] record is simply not the right fit for Virginia,” said Kim Jemaine, Virginia director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund. “During his extensive career as a henchman for the coal industry and the Trump administration, Wheeler has made it clear that he is willing to risk the health and safety of Virginians in order to serve the interests of bad actors. We should take this record at face value.”

Youngkin’s nomination of Michael Rolband to head the Department of Environmental Quality, on the other hand, went without comment. Rolband appears to have a long history as an advocate for wetlands preservation and restoration. He founded Wetlands Studies and Solutions, an environmental and cultural resources analysis firm, as well as the Resources Protection Group, a wetlands conservation nonprofit.