Scott Pruitt withstood months of increasingly bad headlines, but called it quits today. He’s stepping down. Into his place (in an acting capacity) will step Andrew Wheeler, a former EPA staffer, Senate aide, coal industry lobbyist, and, as of April, the deputy director of the EPA.
Environmental advocates worry that Wheeler shares Pruitt’s theory of environmental regulation — specifically, that we need much less of it — but comes with years of experience as a Beltway operator that will help him put that agenda into action without becoming mired in scandal.