EPA Employees Oppose Pruitt

Former EPA Workers Petition Senate to Reject Nominee

Todd Neeley
By  Todd Neeley , DTN Staff Reporter
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A group of former EPA employees is opposing Scott Pruitt's confirmation to head the agency. (DTN file photo)

OMAHA (DTN) - Nearly 450 former employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are pressing the U.S. Senate not to confirm Scott Pruitt to head the agency, according to a letter sent to the leader of the Senate on Monday.

In the letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the former EPA employees said they believe Pruitt is not qualified to head the agency. Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted 11-0 last week to advance Pruitt's nomination to the full Senate as every committee Democrat boycotted the vote. It is not yet clear when the full Senate will vote to confirm.

The former agency employees point to Pruitt's record on enforcing environmental regulations as attorney general of Oklahoma, as reason for concern. In addition, the employees said Pruitt should be opposed because during a Senate hearing he said there's no clear science on how much humans contribute to climate change.

The Environmental Integrity Project circulated the letter among former EPA employees. On its website the EIP describes itself as a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog organization comprised of former EPA enforcement attorneys, public interest lawyers, analysts, investigators and community organizers. Its purpose is to serve as a watchdog group on environmental laws.

"Mr. Pruitt's record raises serious questions about whose interests he has served to date and whether he agrees with the longstanding tenets of U.S. environmental law," the letter said.

More than 30 states filed multiple lawsuits in recent years challenging the waters of the United States, or WOTUS, rule partly on the basis that the agency didn't consider input offered by states in setting the rule.

"Our environmental laws are based on a partnership that requires EPA to set national standards and gives states latitude when implementing them so long as certain minimum criteria are satisfied," the letter said.

"... Our environmental laws include provisions directing EPA to allow for a 'margin of safety' when assessing risks, which is intended to limit exposure to pollutants when it is reasonable to expect they may harm the public health, even when all the scientific evidence is not yet in."

The American Farm Bureau Federation wrote a letter in early January supporting Pruitt. AFBF president Zippy Duvall called Pruitt "an ideal nominee" who would work with agricultural interests.

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The former EPA employees suggest Pruitt does not "share the vision or agree with the underlying principles" of environmental laws.

"Mr. Pruitt has shown no interest in enforcing environmental laws, a critically important function for EPA," the letter said.

The Environmental Integrity Project noted that Pruitt issued more than 50 press releases as Oklahoma Attorney General celebrating various lawsuits to overturn EPA standards on issues such as limited mercury emissions from power plants, reducing smog levels in cities and regional haze in parks, cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

"In contrast, none of Mr. Pruitt's many press releases refer to any action he has taken to enforce environmental laws or to actually reduce pollution," the group stated.

During hearings before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Pruitt has said he was involved in reaching an agreement to protect the Illinois River.

"He has claimed credit for an agreement to protect the Illinois River that did little more than confirm phosphorus limits established much earlier, while delaying their enforcement another three years," the letter said.

"In a similar vein, Mr. Pruitt has gone to disturbing lengths to advance the views and interests of business."

In addition, the letter said Pruitt has not provided about 3,000 emails and other documents regarding communications he had with oil and gas companies.

CLIMATE CHANGE

What's more, the employees said Pruitt is likely to be soft on climate change.

"We are most concerned about Mr. Pruitt's reluctance to accept and act on the strong scientific consensus on climate change," the letter said

The employees said Pruitt "persists in pointing to uncertainty about the precise extent of humanity's contribution" to climate change.

"This is a familiar dodge -- emphasizing uncertainty about the precise amount of humanity's contribution while ignoring the broad scientific consensus that human activities are largely responsible for dangerous warming of our planet and that action is urgently needed before it is too late," the letter said.

"Different administrators have come to different conclusions about how best to apply the law in view of the science, and many of their decisions have been challenged in court, sometimes successfully, for either going too far or not far enough. But in the large majority of cases it was evident to us that they put the public's welfare ahead of private interests. Scott Pruitt has not demonstrated this same commitment."

Included on the list of signatories is former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy's communications director Liz Purchia. The letter lists her as acting associate administrator for EPA's office of public affairs.

Read the letter here: http://bit.ly/…

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @toddneeleyDTN

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Todd Neeley

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