Wheeler has been serving as acting EPA administrator since Scott Pruitt stepped down amid ethics scandals in July. Prior to his work at the EPA, Wheeler worked as a lobbyist for the coal industry.
"It's going to take different leadership at the top," said Don Fox, a former acting director of the Office of Government Ethics. "And that means a different occupant in the White House."
The agency's next acting chief has drawn praise as a capable administrator. But critics still say the transition from Scott Pruitt is a bit like "going from a train wreck to a house on fire."
The aide said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt asked for help procuring a mattress while he was apartment hunting. Federal ethics rules prohibit staff from doing private work for their superiors.
Pruitt is facing a slew of allegations of excess spending and, as of this week, claims his agency sought to block a study on a suspected carcinogen. "I share your concerns," he told senators.
When Scott Pruitt served as Oklahoma's attorney general, he took over a major pollution lawsuit brought by his predecessor. Critics accuse Pruitt of inaction on the case, which remains unresolved.
California is leading a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's plan to weaken car emissions standards. EPA chief Scott Pruitt says the rules, designed to fight climate change, are too strict.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Republican members of Nevada's congressional delegation are so far not joining more than 170 members of Congress, including Nevada's Democratic members, in calling for the resignation of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator
The EPA administrator wants to restrict the science used by the agency in its decision-making. Scientists are concerned it eliminates all good science in the process.
The EPA says the San Jacinto Waste Pits near Houston no longer needs Scott Pruitt's personal attention due to progress on a remediation plan. But the site is still years away from being cleaned up.
Inspectors general throughout Washington, D.C., are involved in oversight of everything from the Environmental Protection Agency administrator's travel to ongoing FBI investigations.
With a president keeping a Cabinet secretary on the job despite a raft of ethics scandals, ethics officials are spelling out why that might be a problem.
If Pruitt's slavish devotion to deregulation has boosted his stock with Trump, it has also endeared him to an array of conservative activists and organizations who have been looking for heroes.
The president says he was unaware that his attorney paid $130,000 shortly before the 2016 election to silence a woman who says she had a sexual relationship with Trump.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is fending off accusations that he misused taxpayer funds and maintained improper ties to companies regulated by the EPA.
In comments to a Tulsa radio host in February 2016, then-Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said he feared President Trump would use executive orders unconstitutionally if he were elected.
In a speech in Kentucky on Monday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said the old rules aimed at reducing carbon dioxide were tantamount to declaring war on the coal industry.
A 2014 EPA climate report warned that Superfund site cleanup and monitoring processes needed updates to prepare for more severe floods. That report is no longer located on the current agency website.
The document, which was leaked ahead of publication, states that humans are causing climate change. The findings are at odds with statements by President Trump and key members of his administration.
President Trump followed through on his campaign-trail vow to exit the historic international agreement. But he said the U.S. would begin negotiations to possibly re-enter the pact or a similar deal.
