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Article snippet: Even members of MORE’s departure from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was overdue. But they also contend that his ouster will not produce any noticeable change in policy. And environmentalists worry they might be right. After months of ethics-related controversies — his conduct was being examined as part of no fewer than 15 probes — Pruitt finally resigned on Thursday. His replacement — at least on an interim basis — is Andrew Wheeler, a Pruitt deputy whose resume includes stints as a coal lobbyist and as an aide to Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), perhaps the most prominent denier of climate change on Capitol Hill. That’s enough to leave environmental groups deeply concerned, even as they welcome Pruitt’s departure. Fred Krupp, the president of the Environmental Defense Fund, told The Hill that “the work will continue” aimed at “dismantling” the EPA. “Pruitt ran into so many problems due to his shoddy ethics,” Krupp said. “But now [President] Trump turns to Andy Wheeler to do the same thing, out of the limelight.” Supporters of the administration view the situation as the mirror image of that scenario. They argue that Pruitt’s controversies overshadowed his policy work, which they consider valuable. “Look, the allegations and controversy reached a critical mass,” said one former Trump administration official. “Some of it is fair and some is not, but there is no question taxpayer resources were not being properly used and there were clear lapses in judg... Link to the full article to read more