Virginia Politics

Youngkin nominates Trump EPA chief Andrew Wheeler for secretary of natural resources

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By Laura Vozzella
Yesterday at 4:07 p.m. EST|Updated yesterday at 5:58 p.m. EST

RICHMOND — Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) on Wednesday nominated Andrew Wheeler — a former coal lobbyist who led a rollback of Obama-era environmental regulations as President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency chief — as his secretary of natural resources.

The pick drew immediate blowback from environmentalists and elected Democrats from Richmond to Washington, who warned that Wheeler might not survive confirmation in the state Senate, which remains under narrow Democratic control.

“I know he’s new to Virginia government and all but @GlennYoungkin does understand cabinet secretaries require General Assembly approval --- right?” state Sen. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) tweeted.

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U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) called Wheeler “an anti-environment ideologue.” Sierra Club Virginia decried the move as “one of the most dangerous appointments in our state’s history.”

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[Youngkin picks Richmond insider Richard Cullen, businessman Jeff Goettman for key Cabinet posts]

Youngkin’s spokesman declined to comment on the criticism, pointing only to the news release announcing the nomination, which praised Wheeler as an Eagle Scout with a law degree and MBA who has dedicated his career to “advancing sound environmental policies.”

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By Laura Vozzella
Laura Vozzella covers Virginia politics for The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, she was a political columnist and food writer at the Baltimore Sun, and she has also worked for the Associated Press, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Hartford Courant. Twitter https://twitter.com/LVozzella