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Abboud, Michael [/0=EXCHANGELABS/OU=EXCHANGE ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP (FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=B6F5AF791A1842F1ADCC088CBF9ED3CE-ABBOUD, MIC] 7/7/2018 1:32:34 PM j x. 6 Personal Privacy (PP) i Re: Andrew Wheeler Background Briefing
Jahan will be taking the lead, but any of the press team can help with whatever issues come up. Sent from my iPhone On Jul 7, 2018, at 7:30 AM,[ Ex. 6 Personal Privacy (PP) p wrote:
Are you going to be handling communications for the new Acting Administrator? Thanks, Jazz On Fri, Jul 6, 2018 at 4:30 PM, Abboud, Michael <abboud.michael@epa.gov> wrote: i Good afternoon -
In response to questions EPA has received regarding new Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler please see below and recusal letter attached.
Andrew Wheeler has dedicated his career to advancing sound environmental policies. He began his career in the 1990s at the Environmental Protection Agency as a Special Assistant in the Pollution Prevention and Toxics office where he received three bronze medals.
Mr. Wheeler was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on April 12, 2018. President Trump announced that on Monday, July 9, Andrew Wheeler will become the acting Administrator of EPA.
Prior to his service at EPA, he was a Principal and the team leader of the energy and environment practice group at FaegreBD Consulting as well as Counsel at Faegre Baker Daniels law firm where he practiced since 2009. He also served as the Co-chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Industry team across the entire firm.
Before his work with the firm, Mr. Wheeler served as the Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel as well as the Minority Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for six years. Prior to his time at the full Senate EPW Committee, Mr. Wheeler
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served in a similar capacity for six years for the Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate Change, Wetlands and Nuclear Safety.
Mr. Wheeler is the past Chairman of the National Energy Resource Organization (NERO), the past President of the Washington Coal Club, and a Stennis Fellow. Mr. Wheeler is also an Eagle Scout and an avid outdoorsman.
Mr. Wheeler was born in Hamilton, Ohio. He completed his law degree at Washington University in St. Louis, his MBA at George Mason University, and his undergraduate work at Case Western Reserve University in English and Biology. (EPA Website, 07/06/18)
Mr. Wheeler is frequently and wrongly described solely as a "coal lobbyist." He is a licensed attorney and was a federally registered lobbyist who represented a diverse group of clients, including those in manufacturing, energy, solar, trade associations, ethanol production, food production, and other vital American industries.
While working for Murray Energy, he did not lobby EPA. He has not lobbied EPA at all in the last two years.
As stated in his May 24, 2018, Recusal Statement, Administrator Wheeler is recused from specific party matters involving former clients, including Murray Energy, until April 28, 2020.
While working on behalf of Murray Energy, Mr. Wheeler, in fact, championed the Miners Pension Protection Act, bi-partisan legislation to secure our nation's retired miners pensions, which was sponsored by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Shelley Moore Capita (R-WV), Mark Warner (D-YA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Rob Portman (R-OH).
o "On May 4, 2017, the Senate passed a portion of the original Miners Protection Act of 2016 (S. 175), securing a permanent health care fix for our retired miners who were orphaned by recent coal bankruptcies. The passage of this legislation ensured that 22,600 of our nation's miners did not lose the healthcare benefits that they earned over a lifetime of hard work and dedication to our great nation." (Office of Senator Joe Manchin, 05/04/17)
o Other cosponsors included Senators Franken (D-MN), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Tim Kaine (D-YA), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bernie Sanders (IVT), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
For his leadership on these issues, United Mine Workers endorsed his Senate nomination for Deputy Administrator.
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Mr. Wheeler's past clients with Faegre Baker Daniels LLP include Murray Energy, Sargento Food Inc, Underwriters Laboratories, Energy Fuels Resources Inc, Xcel Energy, Bears Head LNG Corp, Insurance Auto Auctions Inc., South Coast Air Quality Management District, International Paper, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. (See attached recusal statement.)
In A Recent Interview, Mr. Wheeler Said His Top Priorities Are: Enforcement Action, Permitting Reform, And Risk Communication. "Wheeler said in the June 27 interview that his priorities at the EPA include enforcement action and providing more certainty to the public on environmental permitting. Delays in getting essential permits, or decisions about them, especially hurt small businesses, he said. `I'm not suggesting we have to approve all permits within a certain amount of time, but at least we should give a decision --yes or no,' Wheeler said, noting that small companies may seek bank loans with a short repayment window and use that to purchase equipment and pay workers while waiting for a permitting decision. `If we are late on the permitting side, then that can make or break a small company or mid-size business.' Wheeler also said he wants the EPA to get better at informing affected communities about potential risks in straightforward, easy-to-understand ways --erring on the side of speed, even if the agency must correct information later on. `I don't think the agency historically has done a consistent job of describing what the risk is that Americans face,' Wheeler said, citing statements about air quality in New York after the 2001 terrorist attacks and the integrity of drinking water in Flint, Michigan. Wheeler said the burden falls disproportionately on the poor, `who often live the closest to facilities.'" (Bloomberg, 07/06/18)
Jazz Shaw All Purpose Pundit Weekend Editor: hotair.com Ex. 6 Personal Privacy (PP) i(private)
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