Virginia’s incoming Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has stirred controversy with his nomination of Andrew Wheeler, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief under President Donald Trump, as secretary of natural resources.

Wheeler, a one-time coal industry lobbyist who led the agency in the second half of the prior administration, stated during his 2019 confirmation hearings a belief that climate change is both real and influenced by human activity.

但是他在EPA的掌舵人任期包括削弱了旨在减少燃煤电厂排放和提高汽车燃料效率的几项奥巴马时代的举措，以及根据《联邦清洁水法》管理的有争议的重新定义。

惠勒还逐渐强调了科学在塑造代理政策中的作用，消除了EPA的科学顾问办公室，并在几个咨询小组中填补了对行业兴趣更友好的参与者的填补。

弗吉尼亚州自然保护选民联盟执行董事迈克尔·镇（Michael Town）在一份声明中说：“惠勒一次又一次地迎合公司污染者的利益，使他们的福利领先于我们的环境和美国人的健康。”“This is hands down the most extreme nomination for an environmental post in Virginia’s history and the absolute worst pick that the Governor-elect could make.”

During his successful campaign against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Youngkin gave few clues about his environmental views, aside from criticizing Virginia’s 2020 Clean Economy Act, which sets an aggressive agenda for developing renewable energy and shuttering fossil fuel power plants. Last month, he announced plans to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—a carbon cap-and-trade market among states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Youngkin, who takes office Jan. 15, said in a statement announcing Wheeler’s nomination that “Virginia needs a diverse energy portfolio in place to fuel our economic growth, continued preservation of our natural resources, and a comprehensive plan to tackle rising sea levels.”

He said his adiministration "will address Virginia’s ongoing environmental, energy, and natural resources challenges, including protecting the Chesapeake Bay, fully funding our best management practices, solving longstanding stormwater management issues, and establishing a Coastal Virginia Resiliency Authority.”

在维吉尼亚州的大会通常类似es cabinet choices by incoming governors, Wheeler likely faces a difficult road to confirmation. The November 2020 election gave Republicans a slim majority in the House of Delegates while Democrats hold a similarly small edge in the state Senate.

Reaction to Wheeler’s nomination among state legislators predictably fell along party lines. State Sen. Richard H. Stuart (R), who worked with Wheeler on Youngkin’s transition team, called him “highly qualified and very competent.”

德尔·马库斯·西蒙（Del。MarcusSimon）（D-Fairfax）指出，Youngkin橱柜的任命相对较慢，他说惠勒被“从枪管的底部”刮擦，并且“无法确认他”。

Youngkin还提名了一家自然和历史资源咨询公司的创始人Michael Rolband，负责该州的环境质量部门