The Senate has ended debate on whether to confirm Andrew Wheeler as head of the Environmental Protection Agency, setting up a final vote on the former coal industry lobbyist today. On Wednesday, Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins said she would vote “no” on Wheeler’s confirmation, citing his efforts to roll back greenhouse gas emissions standards and his assault on regulations limiting mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. Wheeler appears to have the support of the remaining 52 senators who comprise the Republican majority. Wheeler has been the acting head of the EPA since Scott Pruitt resigned in July amid an onslaught of financial and ethics scandals.
