For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Contact:
Lee Francis | Deputy Director
Virginia League of Conservation Voters
(804) 225-1902 | lfrancis@valcv.org
RICHMOND – Today, the House of Delegates voted 96-0 to confirm Governor Youngkin’s Cabinet nominees, passing a resolution that excluded Andrew Wheeler, Youngkin’s extreme choice for Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.
A former coal lobbyist and head of the Environmental Protection Agency under Former President Trump, Wheeler was an immediate lightening rod, drawing intense criticism, opposition, and pushback. This is the first time since the Kaine Administration that the legislature has declined to approve a Governor’s full cabinet.
In response to today’s vote, Michael Town, executive director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, issued the following statement:
“It was clear from the start that Andrew Wheeler was not a pragmatic pick to lead Virginia’s environmental agencies. His record of working for corporate polluters and undermining environmental laws time after time made him unfit for this post, and we are glad the legislature, too, came to this conclusion. With this nomination fight behind us, we look to Governor Youngkin to find a suitable replacement – someone who will listen to science, prioritize environmental protection, help us meet our Bay cleanup goals, and leave the air, water and open spaces of the Commonwealth cleaner than how they found them.”
About us:
The Virginia League of Conservation Voters serves as the political voice of the state’s conservation community, working to make sure Virginia’s elected officials recognize that our natural heritage is an environmental and economic treasure for all. Virginia LCV works with conservation leaders across Virginia and strives for a conservation majority in state government. We secure good public policies on the state level and hold public officials accountable for their positions on environmental issues. For more information, visit www.valcv.org.
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