Coal Lobbyist Andrew Wheeler Becomes Acting EPA Administrator After Pruitt Resignation

On July 9, 2018, Donald Trump named Andrew Wheeler as Acting EPA Administrator following Scott Pruitt’s resignation amid 14 federal corruption investigations. Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist who had represented Murray Energy—one of America’s largest coal companies—embodied regulatory capture even more systematically than Pruitt. While Pruitt’s tenure featured spectacular corruption scandals, Wheeler brought disciplined industry expertise to dismantling environmental protections with less public drama but potentially greater long-term damage to climate and environmental regulation.

Coal Lobbyist’s Path to Environmental Regulator

Wheeler worked as a lobbyist for Faegre Baker Daniels from 2009-2017, where his primary client was Murray Energy Corporation and its CEO Robert Murray, a vocal climate change denier who had donated heavily to Trump’s campaign. Wheeler lobbied extensively to roll back Obama-era environmental regulations, including the Clean Power Plan and regulations on coal ash and mercury emissions. His client list read like a who’s-who of industries the EPA was supposed to regulate: coal companies, chemical manufacturers, and uranium mining operations. The Senate confirmed Wheeler as permanent EPA Administrator in February 2019 with a 52-47 party-line vote.

Methodical Dismantling of Climate and Environmental Protections

Unlike Pruitt’s chaotic tenure, Wheeler systematically dismantled environmental regulations with bureaucratic precision. He finalized the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, replaced it with the weaker Affordable Clean Energy rule that environmental groups projected would cause thousands of additional premature deaths, weakened mercury and air toxics standards, rolled back vehicle emissions standards, and reduced protections for wetlands and streams under the Clean Water Act. Wheeler removed climate change as a key consideration in environmental reviews and limited the types of scientific studies EPA could use in policymaking—specifically targeting public health research.

Industry Wish List Implementation

Wheeler’s EPA delivered on an action plan that Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray had personally handed to Trump administration officials in 2017. The plan called for withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, repealing the Clean Power Plan, ending the endangerment finding for carbon dioxide, and eliminating regulations on coal ash disposal. Wheeler methodically checked off items from this industry wish list, demonstrating how former lobbyists could use government positions to implement their former clients’ agendas. Environmental groups documented that Wheeler met almost exclusively with industry representatives while denying meetings with health advocates and environmental organizations.

Lower Profile, Greater Damage

Wheeler learned from Pruitt’s mistakes, avoiding the ethical scandals and corruption that had triggered investigations. He flew coach, avoided controversial first-class travel, and maintained a lower public profile while potentially causing greater environmental damage through competent execution of industry priorities. Career EPA scientists and enforcement staff resigned or were pushed out, with the agency’s enforcement actions dropping to 30-year lows. Wheeler appointed industry representatives to key scientific advisory boards while dismissing independent scientists, ensuring that EPA’s internal expertise aligned with fossil fuel industry interests.

Significance

Andrew Wheeler’s appointment as EPA Administrator represents the perfection of regulatory capture—a former coal lobbyist methodically dismantling the regulations he had lobbied against, implementing his former clients’ agenda with government authority. While Pruitt’s corruption scandals attracted media attention, Wheeler’s competent execution of industry priorities potentially caused greater long-term damage to climate and environmental protection. The coal lobbyist-to-EPA-administrator path exemplified the revolving door at its most toxic: industry representatives temporarily entering government to dismantle regulations, then likely returning to industry positions having delivered value to former and future employers. Wheeler’s tenure demonstrated that regulatory capture need not be corrupt or incompetent—it could be methodical, professional, and devastatingly effective at subordinating public interest to industry profit.