Feb 1, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Virginia Senate panel rejects ex-Trump EPA chief for Youngkin’s Cabinet

Yacob Reyes

Andrew Wheeler. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

A Virginia state Senate panel voted 9-6 along party lines Tuesday to block former Trump EPA head Andrew Wheeler from joining Gov. Glenn Youngkin's Cabinet as secretary of natural resources.

State of play: The majority-Democratic Privileges and Elections Committee voted to remove Wheeler's name from a resolution to approve Youngkin's cabinet picks. But Republicans could still approve Wheeler's nomination with the support of at least one Democrat in the full Senate.

Between the lines: At least one Democrat, state Sen. Joe Morrissey, told Courthouse News he would be open to voting in favor of Wheeler.

The backdrop: Wheeler rolled back many of the regulations intended to address climate change during his tenure as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator.

He also expressed doubts about mainstream climate science findings, dismissing the National Climate Assessment, which the EPA contributed to, as too reliant on "worst-case scenarios."

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Virginia Senate panel rejects ex-Trump EPA chief for Youngkin’s Cabinet

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