Input Stories

Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler visited NAM headquarters this week as the latest speaker of the NAM’s “Competing to Win” Speaker Series, providing members with his perspective on his service during the Trump Administration and his predictions for environmental policy in 2025.

The series: The Competing to Win Speaker Series offers NAM members an opportunity to hear from influential figures who could potentially have a major say in the direction that policy debates move in the months and years ahead.

The speaker: Wheeler led the EPA from 2018 through 2021, and is a partner and head of federal affairs at the law firm Holland & Hart.

The message: Wheeler discussed the future of environmental regulations in the United States, giving members an inside view of challenges, opportunities and possible actions. As manufacturers continue to face a rising tide of complex regulations, Administrator Wheeler’s remarks focused on modernizing regulations and implementing comprehensive permitting reform. 

• “As we look to and beyond November, the NAM is leading the policy debate around the importance of addressing the regulatory onslaught facing manufacturers in America,” said Wheeler. “Speaking with manufacturing leaders, it is clear that the president and Congress must prioritize comprehensive permitting reform so we can speed up vital infrastructure projects, lower costly regulatory hurdles and achieve greater American energy independence.”

Our role: The event showcased the NAM’s role as a convener with relationships across the political spectrum. Through the series, NAM is bringing influential policymakers to our members so they can hear for themselves about policies that impact the issues they care about—and making clear that, regardless of political outcomes, the NAM is ready to hit the ground running.

Looking ahead: With polls continuing to show a tight race for president this fall that could be decided by a sliver of votes, the NAM is focused on bringing the influential policymakers to NAM members to share their insights on the policy landscape heading into next year.

• “At the NAM we focus on policy—not politics, personality or process,” said NAM Executive Vice President Erin Streeter. “With the NAM as the convening point, we are bringing policymakers from both sides of the aisle to give you a forward-looking perspective on the economy, the election and beyond.”