RICHMOND, Va. — More than 150 former Environmental Protection Agency employees are writing to the Virginia Senate, asking the Democrat-controlled chamber to oppose the nomination of former EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler to GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Cabinet.
Youngkin announced last week that he had selected Wheeler to serve as Virginia’s secretary of natural resources, a similar state-level role. Wheeler is a former coal lobbyist.
The announcement sparked an immediate backlash from the state’s conservation community, and many Democratic members of the chamber have since publicly announced their opposition.
Friday's letter was signed by ex-EPA officials who worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations. It was first shared with The Associated Press.