President Trump has formally nominated current acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency Andrew Wheeler for administrator of the EPA. The president had previously said that he would nominate Wheeler in November of 2018, and is now fulfilling this commitment.

This nomination was made in spite of the continued partial government shutdown. If accepted as administrator, Wheeler's duties will not change much, as he will continue his role as head of the EPA that he has held in a temporary state since the departure of Scott Pruitt in July.

Without a Senate confirmation, Wheeler may be limited to 210 days as acting chief. Under Wheeler's temporary leadership, the EPA has proposed to replace limits on carbon dioxide pollution from power plants with far looser rules - shifting a large amount of regulatory power from the federal government to the states - to relax fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars, and to clarify which streams and wetlands fall under the title of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). To read more about the new WOTUS definitions, click HERE.