Scott Pruitt, Testifying to Lead E.P.A., Criticizes Environmental Rules

[mahatmakanejeeves]

"Dog bites man" is not news.

Scott Pruitt, Testifying to Lead E.P.A., Criticizes Environmental Rules

By CORAL DAVENPORT JAN. 18, 2017

Scott Pruitt, Donald J. Trump’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, went on the offensive in his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, criticizing federal rules protecting air and water and addressing climate change, and forcefully advocating a states’ rights approach to environmental regulation.

In his opening statement, Mr. Pruitt, Oklahoma’s attorney general, offered his vision of a more restrained E.P.A.

“As attorney general of Oklahoma, I saw examples where the agency became dissatisfied with the tools Congress had given it to address certain issues, and bootstrapped its own powers and tools through rule-making,” he said. “This, unfortunately, has resulted in protracted litigation. The agency must be committed to using its expertise in environmental issues, not to end-run around Congress.”

Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee aggressively pressed Mr. Pruitt on his record, noting that he has sued the E.P.A. 14 times in an effort to block federal air and water pollution regulations. In particular, they questioned Mr. Pruitt repeatedly about letters drafted by energy lobbyists that were sent on state stationery to federal agencies and even to President Obama, outlining the economic hardship threated by the environmental rules.

[Freethinker65]

1. States rights to air and water pollution standards?

Hope he and his family reside downwind and downstream.