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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 17 January 2019

Democrats hit Trump EPA nominee on coal lobbying, rollbacks

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Wheeler accompanied
Associated Press Murray to a March 2017
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- meeting to pitch Murray's
dent Donald Trump's nomi- list of desired rule rollbacks
nee to lead the Environ- and other breaks for coal
mental Protection Agency to Energy Secretary Rick
on Wednesday called cli- Perry.
mate change "a huge is- Wheeler told senators that
sue" but not the "greatest his main work for Murray
crisis" and drew fire from had been on health ben-
Democrats at his confirma- efits and pensions.
tion hearing over the regu- "I did not work on the plan.
latory rollbacks he's made I do not have a copy of it. I
in six months as the agen- saw it briefly," Wheeler said,
cy's acting administrator. referring to Murray's wish
Republicans on the GOP- list.
majority Senate Environ- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse,
ment and Public Works D-R.I., displayed a blown-
Committee mostly had up version of a photo taken
praise for Andrew Wheel- of the meeting with Perry,
er, who has served as the showing Wheeler at Mur-
agency's acting head since ray's side.
Scott Pruitt's resignation in A second photo showed
July amid ethics scandals. Andrew Wheeler arrives to testify at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing Murray's rollback plan in
The committee chairman, to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wheeler's hands.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. Murray had sought some
called Wheeler "very well- Associated Press of the coal breaks that the
qualified" to take the job. EPA under Wheeler has
But Democrats pressed did not identify, had con- globally." changing fossil fuel emis- since acted on.
Wheeler about his work as cluded that those rollbacks Wheeler told lawmakers sions. That included Wheeler
a lobbyist helping an influ- would ultimately lead to that he had yet to read a Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and signing a rule easing fed-
ential coal magnate meet health gains. Environmen- massive government cli- other Republican lawmak- eral regulation of toxic coal
with Trump administration tal groups and formal as- mate change report re- ers, by contrast, praised ash, redoing an Obama
officials before his nomi- sessments from the EPA leased late last year that Wheeler for a move to re- rule that pushed electric-
nation to the EPA and his and other agencies have emphasized man-made move federal protections ity providers to move away
moves on deregulation contested that, saying the climate change was al- for millions of miles of wet- from dirtier-burning coal
and on what they said was changes would increase ready underway. lands and waterways and plants and targeting an
his inattention to the grow- pollution and increase Wheeler said he had re- other proposals. Repub- Obama rule limiting emis-
ing dangers of climate harm to people and the cli- ceived one staff briefing so lican lawmakers said the sions of toxic mercury from
change. mate. far on the climate change protections had burdened coal plants.
"You seem to be consistent- Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., report. The work of the EPA farmers and others. A watchdog group, Citi-
ly doing things that under- said the rollbacks in car and other government The grandson of a coal zens for Responsibility and
mine the health and safety mileage standards and tox- agencies, the report stress- miner, Wheeler worked for Ethics in Washington, filed
of this nation," Sen. Ed Mar- ic mercury emissions under es the massive economic the EPA in the 1990s and an ethics complaint Tues-
key, D-Mass., told Wheeler. Wheeler were examples of toll expected from increas- later as a longtime Republi- day with the EPA's Office
Markey asked him why he unsafe deregulation and ingly severe wildfires, hur- can Senate staffer. of the Inspector General al-
was pulling back on regu- went beyond what indus- ricanes and other extreme Democrats pressed Wheel- leging that Wheeler's over-
lations that proponents say tries themselves wanted. weather under climate er about his lobbying be- sight of those and other
protect human health and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., change. fore joining the EPA, saying rollback proposals at EPA
the environment. noted Wheeler had failed Wheeler said the news me- his work for coal compa- may have violated his gov-
"I believe we are moving to mention climate change dia had seized upon "worst- nies should disqualify him ernment ethics pledge to
forward" on protections, in his initial remarks to law- case scenarios" of the cli- from leading an agency abstain from regulatory de-
Wheeler responded. makers. mate report. that regulates coal. cisions affecting his former
Wheeler cited changes he "Do you agree that climate "You are a former coal in- Wheeler's lobbying clients lobbying client for at least
had initiated to roll back fu- change is a global crisis?" dustry lobbyist that is sitting included coal magnate two years.
ture mileage standards for Sanders asked, shouting at here," Markey responded. Bob Murray, who pushed EPA spokesman John
cars and autos and to ease times. "That's the worst-case sce- hard on the Trump adminis- Konkus called the accusa-
Obama-era clampdowns "I would not call it the great- nario, what you are pro- tration after the 2016 elec- tion "baseless" and "wrong"
on dirtier-burning coal-fired est crisis," Wheeler said. "I posing here" for easing tions to grant a series of and said Wheeler works
power plants. would call it a huge issue Obama-era rules meant to breaks for the sagging do- with EPA ethics officials and
He said EPA staff, whom he that has to be addressed clamp down on climate- mestic coal industry. follows their guidance.q