March 28, 2018
By Dino Grandoni –
Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt flew through a storm of criticism over his use of first-class flights in the last month. Now Pruitt has emerged to throw some lightning bolts of his own.
In radio interviews over the past week, Pruitt has pushed back against criticism from environmentalists and Democrats that he is spending too much on travel.
“I’m a little bit dumbfounded by the kind of media narratives” that have emerged, Pruitt told Mark Reardon, a conservative host on KMOX in St. Louis last week.
At the same time, environmental groups are gearing up with a new campaign to oust Pruitt. On Wednesday, 10 national environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council, will begin a new campaign to remove Pruitt from office, citing what they say is Pruitt’s habit of “spending lavishly on himself.”
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.
