U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt has resigned, Trump said on Thursday.
"I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency," Trump said on Twitter. He said EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler would become acting chief of the agency on Monday.
...on Monday assume duties as the acting Administrator of the EPA. I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda. We have made tremendous progress and the future of the EPA is very bright!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2018
Pruitt has been criticized for massive spending on first-class flights, luxury hotels, and 20-person security detail, as well as for his ties to a number of lobbyists and executives in the energy sector. But also, he has worked to roll back limits on carbon pollution, weaken fuel-efficiency standards, and eliminate clean water protections, and some faith groups have been calling for Pruitt's resignation.
Wheeler, who Trump said would become acting chief next week, was an energy lobbyist and previously worked for Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who famously threw a snowball from the Senate floor to declare climate change a hoax.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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