April 03, 2018
By Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis and Josh Dawsey –
Scott Pruitt stepped to the lectern Tuesday in the Environmental Protection Agency’s ornate Rachel Carson Room, flanked by signs reading “certainty” and “confidence.” The words touted his rollback of Obama-era fuel efficiency standards, the latest move in Pruitt’s campaign to implement President Trump’s “deregulatory agenda.”
But the message of the signs seemed out of step with Pruitt’s current situation, as the EPA chief faces growing questions about a series of ethics decisions that have raised doubts about the job security of one of President Trump’s most effective Cabinet members.
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is “to protect human health and the environment.” Disgraced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt tried his best to undermine this vital mission by choosing to slash critical health protections and let corporate polluters off the hook. Now that Pruitt’s been booted, we need an EPA administrator dedicated to undoing his toxic agenda and restoring the agency to its core mission. Progress is possible and necessary – but another corporate crony or climate skeptic will not get us there.
Scott Pruitt is gone, but the fight is just beginning. We need an EPA administrator who puts our health and environment first, period. Any alternative is unacceptable.
