"Lobbyists are being vilified when everybody in the country is represented by a lobbyist in one way or another," says Andrew Wheeler, a veteran staffer for Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., who left the Hill for K Street this week.

Wheeler has joined B&D Consulting - a national lobbying shop with expertise in issues ranging from education to social services to financial services - where he will be a senior vice president in the firm's energy and climate change practice group. Freddie Mac and Dow Chemical have been among B&D's clients.

Wheeler has extensive experience on the Hill working with energy and environment-related issues, mostly recently serving as minority staff director and chief counsel to the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. Another previous congressional post was as staff director and counsel to the Senate Subcommittee for Clean Air, Wetlands and Nuclear Safety. National Journal recognized Wheeler as a top congressional staffer in 2005.

Wheeler confirmed that he must to wait a year before he can lobby his former colleagues in the Senate. Until then, he looks forward to lobbying members of the House and the staff at 1600 Pennsylvania.

                                                                                                                --Eliza Krigman