The U.S. Senate has confirmed Andrew Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the coal industry, as deputy administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Wheeler previously served as chief of staff for Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), and worked at the EPA during the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He most recently worked as a principal at FaegreBD Consulting and also lobbied on behalf of Murray Energy Corp., which has sued the EPA over proposed changes to its National Ambient Air Quality Standards.