Senate Nears Vote on Pruitt to Lead EPA
More than 400 former Environment Protection Agency officials are urging the Senate to vote against Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the agency.
“Pruitt’s record and public statements strongly suggest that he does not agree with the underlying principles of our environmental laws,” wrote 447 former EPA employees. The Feb. 6 letter, organized by the Environmental Integrity Project, was sent just days after Democrats boycotted two scheduled Environment and Public Works Committee votes to advance Pruitt’s nomination to the full Senate. The boycott forced Republicans on the committee to suspend the rules on Feb. 2 so they could advance Pruitt’s nomination, 11-0, without any Democrats. Democrats wanted more information from Pruitt.
During his confirmation hearing last month, Pruitt said he is concerned about EPA’s overreach and use of litigation to craft regulations. He wants states to have a bigger role in environmental regulation. A Senate vote on Pruitt’s nomination hadn’t been scheduled at ENR press time. An aide said a vote wasn’t likely until the week of Feb. 13.
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