Bill Wehrum, an Architect of Trump Administration's Pro-Coal Rules, to Leave E.P.A.
Source: New York Times
Bill Wehrum, an Architect of Trump Administration's Pro-Coal Rules, to Leave E.P.A.
By Lisa Friedman
June 26, 2019
WASHINGTON -- William L. Wehrum, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency's air office who helped to write some of the Trump administration's most significant rules weakening climate change protections and supporting the coal industry, will resign on Sunday, the agency announced Wednesday.
Mr. Wehrum also served as assistant administrator of the E.P.A. Office of Air and Radiation in the George W. Bush administration. Before returning to the agency under President Trump in November 2017, he worked as a lawyer representing the oil, gas and coal industries.
Watchdog groups have accused Mr. Wehrum of violating an ethics pledge by meeting with former clients from his time as a lawyer and lobbyist. The House Energy and Commerce Committee also has opened an inquiry into whether Mr. Wehrum inappropriately aided his former clients while at E.P.A.
"Wehrum might not have been the biggest name to leave the Trump administration, but he's one of the people with the biggest ethics conflicts," said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has requested an investigation into Mr. Wehrum's conduct by the E.P.A. inspector general.
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/climate/bill-wehrum-epa.html
NEW: EPA's Bill Wehrum is leaving office. A month ago, CREW filed a complaint against Wehrum for apparently violating both his ethics agreement and ethics pledge.
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https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold
David Fahrenthold Retweeted
EPA’s top air policy official steps down amid scrutiny over possible ethics violations.
Bill Wehrum's ties to his former law firm and power sector clients prompted a congressional probe. w/@eilperin
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