Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced Wednesday she plans to oppose Andrew Wheeler’s nomination to lead the Environmental Protection Agency because of his inattention to addressing climate change while serving as acting administrator of the agency.
The Senate voted 52-46 Wednesday to end debate on Wheeler’s nomination to continue leading EPA without the acting title, paving the way for his confirmation.
Collins voted with her Republican colleagues to end debate.
But she said she would vote against Wheeler during the final vote, which is scheduled for Thursday.
“While Mr. Wheeler is certainly qualified for this position, I have too many concerns with the actions he has taken during his tenure as Acting Administrator to be able to support his promotion,” Collins said in a statement. “The policies he has supported as Acting Administrator are not in the best interest of our environment and public health, particularly given the threat of climate change to our nation.”
Collins is one of the most moderate Senate Republicans, who is facing a tough re-election fight next year.
She had voted for Wheeler when he was previously approved by the Senate last year to be the second-highest ranking EPA official before he replaced Pruitt as acting administrator.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate Senate Democrat, also said Wednesday he would oppose Wheeler after backing him last year.
Since replacing Pruitt, Wheeler has introduced major actions started by his predecessor to delay, weaken, or repeal various regulations on air, water, and climate change.
They include the EPA’s effort to weaken the Obama administration’s two signature climate change regulations: Strict fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, which were set to steadily rise through 2026, and the Clean Power Plan that was set to limit carbon emissions from power plants.
Wheeler also introduced a proposal in December to shrink the Obama administration’s Waters of the United States rule, commonly referred to as WOTUS.
Wheeler has tried to minimize the harm these actions would have on efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
For example, he has said the EPA’s narrow replacement of the Clean Power Plan, known as the Affordable Clean Energy or ACE rule, would reduce power sector emissions 33 to 34 percent below 2005 levels. But most of that minimization could happen without any regulation, due to market forces, with cheap natural gas and renewables, and retiring coal plants.
Critics say the ACE rule would actually increase carbon emissions because it is designed to encourage coal plants to invest in efficiency upgrades that would allow them to burn less pollution — and exist longer than they otherwise would.
Critics also say the Trump administration’s freezing of fuel efficiency rules would not fulfill the EPA’s legal requirement to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in a meaningful way.
