Andrew R. Wheeler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrew R. Wheeler
Official portrait, 2018
12th Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources
In office January 15, 2022 – March 15, 2024
Governor	Glenn Youngkin
Preceded by	Ann Jennings
Succeeded by	Travis Voyles
15th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
In office July 9, 2018 – January 20, 2021 Acting: July 9, 2018 – February 28, 2019
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Henry Darwin (acting)
Preceded by	Scott Pruitt
Succeeded by	Michael S. Regan
Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
In office April 20, 2018 – February 28, 2019
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Robert Perciasepe
Succeeded by	Henry Darwin (acting)
Personal details
Born	(1964-12-23) December 23, 1964 (age 60) Hamilton, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Case Western Reserve University (BA) Washington University in St. Louis (JD) George Mason University (MBA)

Andrew R. Wheeler (born December 23, 1964) is an American lawyer who has held important roles in the government. He was the head of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2019 to 2021. Before that, he was the deputy and acting head of the EPA.

Since March 2022, he has been a senior advisor to Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin. Wheeler has also worked as a lobbyist, which means he tried to influence government decisions for companies. He represented a coal company and worked against environmental rules made by the Obama administration. He also worked for the U.S. Senate, helping a senator who did not believe in climate change. Wheeler has often expressed doubts about strict limits on pollution that causes climate change.

Early Life and Education

Andrew Wheeler was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on December 23, 1964. He was an Eagle Scout, which is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts.

He went to Case Western Reserve University in Ohio and earned a degree in English and biology in 1987. Later, he studied law at Washington University School of Law and became a lawyer in 1990. In 1998, he also earned a business degree from George Mason University.

Career in Government and Lobbying

Andrew Wheeler has had a long career working in environmental policy and government.

Working at the EPA

One of Wheeler's first jobs was at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 1991 to 1995. He worked on issues like toxic chemicals and preventing pollution. He also helped with "right-to-know" issues, which means making sure people have access to information about chemicals in their communities. He received awards from the EPA for his work during this time.

Working for the Senate

From 1995 to 2009, Wheeler worked for the United States Senate. He was a chief counsel and staff director for committees that dealt with environmental issues. During this time, he often supported reducing government rules on industries that produce greenhouse gases. These are gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and contribute to climate change.

He worked closely with Senator Jim Inhofe, who was known for not believing that human activities cause climate change.

Work as a Lobbyist

From 2009 to 2017, Wheeler worked as a lobbyist for a law firm. He represented companies, especially a large coal producer called Murray Energy. This company paid him a lot of money to represent their interests.

As a lobbyist, Wheeler worked against environmental rules that the Obama administration had put in place for power plants. He also tried to get the government to support coal plants financially. He even arranged a meeting between the coal company's owner and the Energy Secretary to discuss rolling back environmental rules and protecting the coal industry.

Becoming EPA Deputy Administrator

In October 2017, President Donald Trump chose Andrew Wheeler to be the Deputy Administrator of the EPA. After a vote in the Senate, he was confirmed for this role on April 12, 2018.

Some people raised concerns because Wheeler had meetings with his former lobbying clients after joining the EPA. However, an EPA ethics official said these meetings did not break any rules because he had not worked for those clients in the two years before joining the agency.

Leading the EPA

When the previous EPA head, Scott Pruitt, resigned in July 2018, Andrew Wheeler became the acting head of the agency. In November 2018, President Trump nominated him to be the permanent Administrator. The Senate confirmed him in February 2019.

Wheeler speaks in September 2019.

As EPA Administrator, Wheeler made several important decisions:

• Scientific Studies: He supported a rule that would stop the EPA from using scientific studies if their raw data was not made public. Scientists and medical groups strongly opposed this rule. They said it would limit the research available to the EPA, especially studies that contain private information.
• Animal Testing: In September 2019, Wheeler signed a plan to reduce animal testing. The goal was to find new ways to test things without using animals. The EPA aimed to cut mammal studies by 30% by 2025 and stop all funding for them by 2035.
• COVID-19 Pandemic: In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the EPA announced it would not fine companies for breaking environmental rules if the pandemic caused the problem. Wheeler said the EPA understood that protecting workers from COVID-19 could make it hard for companies to follow all rules.
• Air Pollution Standards: In April 2020, the EPA decided not to make air pollution standards stricter for fine soot (tiny particles in the air). An EPA report had estimated that current pollution levels caused many deaths each year. However, industries asked the Trump administration not to tighten the rules.
• Mercury Regulations: Also in April 2020, the EPA changed how it calculated the health benefits of reducing mercury pollution. This change made it seem less important to clean up mercury.

During his time as EPA Administrator, Wheeler did not put any new rules in place that reduced air pollution or carbon emissions.

Environmental Views

Andrew Wheeler has written articles where he questioned the scientific findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is a group of scientists who study climate change. He suggested their findings might be based more on politics than science.

When asked if he believed in the scientific agreement on climate change, Wheeler said, "I believe that man has an impact on the climate but what's not completely understood is what the impact is."

In March 2019, Wheeler stated he did not believe climate change was a major threat. This was after an IPCC report warned about serious consequences if greenhouse gas emissions were not cut in half by 2030.

Work in Virginia

In 2022, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia chose Wheeler to be the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources. This job involves managing Virginia's natural resources. However, the Virginia Senate did not confirm his nomination. Even though he was not confirmed, he was able to serve in the role for a period. He stepped down on March 15, 2024, and became a senior advisor to Governor Youngkin.

On July 1, 2022, Governor Youngkin also appointed Wheeler to lead a new office called the Office of Regulatory Management. One of this office's goals is to reduce the state's regulations by 25%.

Wheeler left his positions in the Youngkin administration on March 29, 2024.

See also

In Spanish: Andrew R. Wheeler para niños