Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin on Thursday announced Andrew Wheeler, former Environmental Protection Agency administrator in the Trump administration, as his pick for secretary of natural resources, Politico reports.
''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,'' Youngkin, a Republican, said in a statement.
''Andrew and Michael [Rolband as Virginia's director of environmental quality] share my vision in finding new ways to innovate and use our natural resources to provide Virginia with a stable, dependable, and growing power supply that will meet Virginia's power demands without passing the costs on to the consumer.
''Together, we will address Virginia's ongoing environmental, energy and natural resources challenges,'' Youngkin said.
His choice is getting pushback from the state's members of Congress.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer said Wheeler was ''one of the worst people'' Youngkin could select, while Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin said the pick ''shows a callous disregard for climate protections and environmental justice priorities.''
Youngkin's office also said he will name Michael Rolband, founder of the environmental consulting firm Wetland Studies and Solutions, as the state's director of environmental quality.
''Together, we 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,'' Youngkin said in a statement.