WASHINGTON – Andrew Wheeler wasn't supposed to be running the EPA. At least not this early.
Brought on last year by President Trump as the seasoned deputy under former Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, the self-effacing Wheeler built his resume mastering the nuts and bolts of federal environmental regulation from his time as a former EPA bureaucrat, an influential Capitol Hill staffer, and an energy lobbyist.
In April, he was confirmed as the technically savvy wing man to Pruitt's more prominent role as Trump's top de-regulator. Then, when Pruitt resigned following a litany of personal scandals, Wheeler was thrust into the temporary – for now – role leading an agency whose reach the president and his corporate allies want to rein in.
Environmental activists have reacted to Wheeler's ascension with the same ferocity they used to help drive out his predecessor. They believe he not only supports the president's agenda but is also better skilled at executing it because of his background and the lack of daily scandals that clouded Pruitt's effectiveness.
On Wednesday, Wheeler will appear before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in what will be his first appearance before a congressional panel since he had his confirmation hearing for the deputy administrator's job in November.
Here are five things to know about Wheeler:
Don't expect scandal to envelop Wheeler
Even by Washington standards, Pruitt's ethical missteps were numerous, from using staff to run personal errands such as buying a mattress from the Trump Hotel to the illegal installation of a private phone boot that EPA headquarters.
Wheeler's style is much more low-key, having already shed much of the round-the-clock security detail that Pruitt demanded. Critics have raised questions about whether his past lobbying for clients pose a conflict but, so far, no stories about receiving discounted rent from those doing business with the EPA.
Not having to answer constant questions about a scandal-ridden Cabinet member should make Trump happy as well.
Wheeler will be more tactical than Pruitt
As the lead government lawyer for Oklahoma, Pruitt sued the Obama administration more than a dozen times to challenge environmental rules. And as the head of the EPA, Pruitt frequently issued memos and proposed rules aimed at quickly undoing the previous administration's regulatory agenda
Those efforts often made a splash but some of those attempts misfired or did not hold up in court. Wheeler's time at the EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics and later as a Senate lawyer has given him an insider's view on how rules are effectively implemented – or not.
One example: Wheeler announced last week the administration will no longer fight an Obama-era decision to limit the sales of certain heavy duty vehicles known as "glider trucks." The announcement came after a federal appeals court had sided with environmental groups trying to block the EPA from allowing an increase in glider sales.
And he said in an interview with USA TODAY last week, he would not reopen the endangerment finding, upheld by a federal appeals court in 2012, that serves as the legal foundation for federal climate change laws.
"I don't see any reason to reopen (it)," he said. "Maybe 10 years from now. I don't see the justification for opening it up now.
Obama's climate change plan still a target
Pruitt actively challenged the science behind climate change. That's not a strategy being employed by Wheeler who said he believes "man has an impact on the climate."
That doesn't mean a reprieve for the Clean Power Plan, President Barack Obama's signature proposal to fight the warming effects of carbon dioxide on the planet. Legally required to draw up a replacement, Wheeler is moving ahead with a new plan that will be within what he calls the confines of the law.
"My complaint against the Obama Clean Power Plan is that it went outside the four corners of the Clean Air Act," Wheeler said in an interview with USA TODAY. "What we're going to be proposing is going to follow the Clean Air Act. I'm going to be have people on the far right criticizing us because they don't want us to do anything ... and I'm going to have people on the far left criticizing us because they don't think we're doing enough."
Superfund cleanup a priority
Wheeler does plan to follow Pruitt's lead in prioritizing cleanup of toxic waste sites known under the Superfund program.
The agency has been aggressive about working to remove the sites from the list of the nation's most polluted properties, many of which have not been addressed for decades. Over the 12 months, seven Superfund sites have been completely deleted and another two have been partially cleaned up. EPA officials say they are on track to finish 20 sites which would be the highest amount in years.
Wheeler says the progress on Superfund is being under-reported. But the acting administrator declines to take credit for Superfund or other prioroties the agency is pursuing.
"We're going to continue the same policies because these are the policies of President Trump," he said. "These weren't the Pruitt policies. These aren't the Wheeler policies. These are the policies of the Trump administration."
No honeymoon for Wheeler
Wheeler doesn't anticipate a warm welcome from the critics who helped chase Pruitt out.
When he takes a seat Wednesday at the Senate hearing, he can expect Democrats to challenge the administration on numerous fronts from clean water to clean air rules.
WSBTV
