Scott Pruitt's successor is reportedly the Mike Pence of the EPA

EPA headquarters.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Three months after President Trump told now-former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to "knock it off," he finally did, resigning on Thursday and leaving Andrew Wheeler to take his place.

Wheeler, the Environmental Protection Agency's deputy administrator, spent decades working in Washington as a coal lobbyist and EPA aide under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, reports Politico.

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Other Capitol Hill staffers have praised his diligent adherence to proper procedure and ability to work with Congress. His aggressive stance on environmental regulations will lead to "methodical" and "rule-driven" rollbacks of policies, aides predict. Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune told Politico that Wheeler will "fit in well" at the top of Trump's EPA because of his efforts to "flout the findings of the scientific community" and fight environmental protections.

Wheeler, who doubts that humans are the primary cause of climate change, is set to take over as acting administrator of the EPA on Monday. Read more at Politico.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.