EPA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s acting chief said on Wednesday [7-11-18] he would push to cut regulations on industry and speed up decisions on permits, echoing the policies of former head Scott Pruitt who stepped down last week. Andrew Wheeler, a longtime Washington insider, took the reins on Monday [7-9-18] after Pruitt, a former attorney general from Oklahoma, resigned over more than a dozen ethics controversies. Unlike Pruitt, Wheeler has been known to shun the spotlight. But some environmentalists say his experience means he can carry out Trump’s policy of slashing regulations more effectively. Wheeler said President Donald Trump talked to him last week and asked him to provide regulatory relief to industry while protecting air and water quality. ‘I think we can do all three of those things at the same time,’ Wheeler said in his first address to EPA staff. Environmentalists have complained that the EPA under Trump has worked to reverse Obama era limits on pollution.”
–Timothy Gardner, “EPA’s acting head vows to carry out Trump’s regulation cuts,” Reuters, July 11, 2018 11:22 am