EPA
fears 'unprecedented disaster' for environment over Scott Pruitt pick
Senate
Democrats vow to fight Trump’s nominee to lead the EPA, a climate
denier who has sued the agency multiple times as attorney general of
Oklahoma
Oliver Milman
@olliemilman
Thursday 8 December
2016 19.51 GMT
EPA fears
'unprecedented disaster' for environment over Scott Pruitt pick
Senate Democrats vow
to fight Trump’s nominee to lead the EPA, a climate denier who has
sued the agency multiple times as attorney general of Oklahoma
Democrats have
promised to stage a last-ditch effort to thwart the appointment of
Scott Pruitt as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,
amid fears within the agency that he will trigger an “unprecedented
disaster” for America’s environment and public health.
Donald Trump has
nominated Pruitt to lead an agency he has sued multiple times in his
role as attorney general of Oklahoma. Pruitt has vowed to dismantle
serried environmental rules and is currently involved in a legal
effort by 27 states to overturn Barack Obama’s clean power plan,
the president’s centerpiece policy to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
“The American
people are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our
economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this
agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the
environment and freedom for American businesses,” Pruitt said in a
statement.
Trump said Pruitt is
a “highly respected attorney general” who will reverse the EPA’s
“out-of-control anti-energy agenda that has destroyed millions of
jobs”. Earlier this year, the president-elect said there would be
just “little tidbits left” of the EPA if he made it to the White
House.
Environmental groups
have reacted with dismay at the nomination of Pruitt, warning that he
will not only tear up much of Obama’s climate legacy but also
imperil the reliably clean air and water that Americans have largely
enjoyed over the past 40 years. Democrats have vowed to fight
Pruitt’s nomination, with Chuck Schumer, the minority Senate
leader, promising a torrid confirmation hearing for the Republican
lawyer.
Some Democrats are
hopeful that a number of Republicans could join them to block
Pruitt’s confirmation. “This is full-fledged environmental
emergency, this is someone (Pruitt) who is a professional climate
change denier,” said Brian Schatz, a senator from Hawaii. “This
is a litmus test for every member of the Senate who believes in
science. We are going to do everything to oppose his nomination, and
we are confident we can do so.”
Other elected
Democrats have also vowed to take on Pruitt, with Eric Schneiderman,
attorney general of New York, promising to “use the full power of
my office” to compel the EPA to uphold federal environment laws.
Republicans, the
majority party in the Senate, have largely welcomed Trump’s pick.
James Inhofe, an Oklahoma senator and a vocal denier of climate
science, said Pruitt is “thoughtful, experienced and a natural
pick” for the EPA administrator role. Inhofe is chairman of the
Senate environment committee, which will question Pruitt prior to his
confirmation.
EPA staff have
expressed nervousness over Pruitt’s nomination, given his zealous
pursuit of the agency. Pruitt has fought against EPA regulations that
prevent air pollution haze in national parks, methane leaks from
drilling and mercury and arsenic seeping from power plants.
Analysis Scott
Pruitt's EPA: a dream for oil and gas firms is nightmare for
environment
The attorney general
has proved to be such a staunch advocate for fossil fuels that he
allowed Oklahoma firm Devon Energy to use his letterhead to send a
three-page complaint to the EPA in 2014. He has questioned the
accepted scientific stance on climate change, claiming in May that
the “debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree
about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to
the actions of mankind.”
One EPA scientist,
who asked not to be named, said that Pruitt risks being an
“unprecedented disaster” for the natural world and public health.
Other EPA advisers warned that the agency risks being trampled under
Trump’s agenda of boosting corporations and eviscerating climate
action.
“Pruitt doesn’t
believe in the mission of the EPA, which is to protect human health
and the environment,” said Lisa Garcia, vice-president of
Earthjustice and a senior adviser to the last two EPA administrators.
“This isn’t a
business agency, it’s an environmental agency. It’s scary to have
someone who doesn’t believe in the mission of the EPA walking in to
run it. I expect they will choke the funding of the EPA and stop
enforcing laws. The work of the agency will basically come to a halt.
“People at the EPA
are in shock, they are worried about carrying out its mission. People
are worried about how they will do their jobs, even people who voted
for Trump. They didn’t expect this. Clean air and water, safe
places for our children to play – these things should be
bipartisan. They should be above politics.”
Trump has previously
called climate change a “hoax” and threatened to end all spending
on climate change and clean energy, but environmentalists saw a
glimmer of hope when the real estate magnate met with Al Gore, the
former vice-president, and the actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Both
regularly call for action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The nomination of
Pruitt, however, presages a lengthy battle between the Trump
administration and green groups.
“Donald Trump has
made it clear that he intends to wage war on clean air and clean
water,” said Benjamin Schreiber, climate and energy program
director at Friends of the Earth US. “Trump has also put our
climate in peril and shown he is out of step with the American
people. With this EPA pick, Donald Trump is putting all Americans at
risk.”
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