Former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler has joined Holland & Hart with plans to expand the law firm’s presence in Washington.
Wheeler, who led the agency under President Donald Trump, will be a partner and head of federal affairs in its capital office, the firm announced Tuesday. He also recently served in Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) administration as the first director of the regulatory oversight office.
Chris Balch, the firm’s chair, said in a statement that growing the Washington office is “a strategic priority” for Holland & Hart and that Wheeler is “a critical addition” to building its government affairs and regulatory practice.
“Andrew’s vast expertise in environmental policy will be a huge asset to our energy and natural resources clients,” Balch said.
Wheeler said in a statement he was excited about building “a team of bipartisan federal advocacy and policy professionals and be part of growing the firm’s dynamic Washington, DC office.”
Along with his EPA and state government experience, Wheeler worked at Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting, where he led the energy and environment practice team. He registered to lobby for several clients there, but he doesn’t plan to do so again at his new job.
“No, I don’t plan to lobby,” Wheeler told E&E News.
Other Trump EPA officials have landed at Holland & Hart. Doug Benevento, who served as acting deputy administrator under Wheeler, joined the firm as a partner in its Denver office.
Wheeler said on social media last week that he had moved on from his post in Virginia state government.
He worked two years for Youngkin as director of the Office of Regulatory Management and earlier as acting secretary of natural and historic resources. The governor nominated Wheeler for the latter position, but Democrats in the Virginia state Senate blocked his confirmation.
Wheeler joined the Trump administration in 2018 as EPA deputy administrator and later took charge of the agency after Scott Pruitt left under a crush of ethics scandals. He was confirmed EPA administrator in 2019.
Wheeler served on Capitol Hill too, including as majority staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The Fairfield, Ohio native started his career as a special assistant in EPA’s pollution prevention and toxics office.
Reporter Timothy Cama contributed.
