US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt has stepped down after becoming the target of several ethics inquiries over his use of taxpayer funds.
The former Oklahoma Attorney General had pushed ahead on his deregulatory agenda but soon began catching flak over his high-end travel, costly office upgrades and the deployment of agency personnel for personal tasks. US President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that Pruitt would be replaced, at least for the present by Andrew Wheeler, EPA deputy administrator, who had been confirmed by the Senate.
