New EPA head tapped by Trump

Scott Pruitt

President-elect Donald Trump plans to appoint Scott Pruitt, attorney general of Oklahoma, to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to multiple reports.

According to The New York Times, Pruitt is an ally of the fossil fuel industry who has fought strongly against environmental regulations. Pruitt has been a key architect of the legal battle against the Obama administration’s climate change policies, The New York Times adds.

Pruitt is also an opponent of EPA’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, according to the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA). In a statement, NSSGA says it would “look forward to working with an EPA administrator that understands the harmful repercussions of EPA’s WOTUS rule.”

Not surprisingly, a number of environmentalists received the announcement with opposition. Count Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who was outspoken on climate change during the presidential campaign, among the selection’s critics.

“Trump’s nominee to lead EPA, Scott Pruitt, is a climate denier who’s worked closely with the fossil fuel industry,” Sanders says. “That’s sad and dangerous.”