Washington, D.C. – After the U.S. Senate voted to move forward with coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler’s nomination to be Deputy Administrator of the EPA, the League of Conservation Voters released the following statement from Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Tiernan Sittenfeld:

“With Scott Pruitt mired in scandal and under eight federal investigations for his corrupt actions and shady ties to the fossil fuel industry, the last thing the Senate should do is confirm an industry lobbyist to be his second in command. Time and again Pruitt has shown an utter disregard for our communities and for the EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment and has instead catered to polluters at every opportunity. Nothing suggests that Andrew Wheeler would be any different.”

LCV urged senators to oppose Wheeler in a letter this week.