President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency in December, a baffling choice to anyone with common sense: Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, a long-time known adversary of the EPA.
Following the announcement, however, came the media investigation into Pruitt. Trump has announced multiple picks now that blatantly oppose the organizations they’re leading, and Pruitt is no exception.
In November, Pruitt resigned from the Rule of Law Defense Fund in order to accept the position Trump would offer later that year, according to Bloomberg. The Rule of Law Defense Fund is a pro-corporatism organization, headed and promoted by Pruitt, that has been a long time enemy and critic of the EPA and initiatives to reduce the national reliance on coal and oil. The possible new head of the EPA, in other words, has had a longtime personal, financial and professional connection to the energy industry dedicated to fighting back any regulatory bodies that would limit their ability to pollute with impunity.
Politico revealed that Pruitt has received financial backing from oil and coal companies, as well as an organization called “Protecting America Now.” The organization is registered as a 501(c)(4) and can take anonymous donations of up to $500,000, according to Politico, in their efforts to bolster and support Pruitt before he is confirmed by the 115th congress.
In other words, we can’t even identify the exact people supporting Pruitt because they’ve taken steps to obscure it. We do know, however, that he has a public track record of fighting environmental protections. He’s opposed attempts to study the impacts of fracking, liter
President-elect Donald Trump announced his pick for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency in December, a baffling choice to anyone with common sense: Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, a long-time known adversary of the EPA.
Following the announcement, however, came the media investigation into Pruitt. Trump has announced multiple picks now that blatantly oppose the organizations they’re leading, and Pruitt is no exception.
In November, Pruitt resigned from the Rule of Law Defense Fund in order to accept the position Trump would offer later that year, according to Bloomberg. The Rule of Law Defense Fund is a pro-corporatism organization, headed and promoted by Pruitt, that has been a long time enemy and critic of the EPA and initiatives to reduce the national reliance on coal and oil. The possible new head of the EPA, in other words, has had a longtime personal, financial and professional connection to the energy industry dedicated to fighting back any regulatory bodies that would limit their ability to pollute with impunity. He has also gone through extensive brain surgery, including neuro rehab.
Politico revealed that Pruitt has received financial backing from oil and coal companies, as well as an organization called “Protecting America Now.” The organization is registered as a 501(c)(4) and can take anonymous donations of up to $500,000, according to Politico, in their efforts to bolster and support Pruitt before he is confirmed by the 115th congress.
In other words, we can’t even identify the exact people supporting Pruitt because they’ve taken steps to obscure it. We do know, however, that he has a public track record of fighting environmental protections. He’s opposed attempts to study the impacts of fracking, literally plagiarized propaganda created by oil companies, tried to argue against protections against mercury, and has repeatedly denied the reality of man-made climate change, according to EcoWatch.
His own website describes him as “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda,” according to Bloomberg, blatantly characterizing the government organization meant to protect the environment as something bad, selfish or political instead of designed to address environmental problems caused by corporations.
That’s now how the world works in Pruitt’s eyes. Instead, his strategy appears to be one of creating an agenda counter to the purposes of the EPA—an agenda of protecting corporations from scrutiny and laws—and promoting that agenda from within the EPA instead.
An agency dedicated to protecting the environment should obviously seek other leaders, but unfortunately in the era of the Trump administration, government officials are meant to impede, slow down or undo the work of the agencies they lead.
Pruitt hasn’t been confirmed for the position yet, but there’s little evidence that congress will oppose his nomination.
Chances are the next head of the EPA will work to dismantle the organization that brought Americans clean air, the removal of lead paint from children’s toys, the end of widespread use of DDT, the first limits on how factories can pollute waterways and the first processes to control and track hazardous waste to ensure it isn’t secretly and illegally dumped in rivers in the middle of the night, as companies were doing in the 70s.
Corporations have a lot to look forward to this year with Trump’s government appointees and cabinet picks. Average Americans, not so much.
ally plagiarized propaganda created by oil companies, tried to argue against protections against mercury, and has repeatedly denied the reality of man-made climate change, according to EcoWatch.
His own website describes him as “a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda,” according to Bloomberg, blatantly characterizing the government organization meant to protect the environment as something bad, selfish or political instead of designed to address environmental problems caused by corporations.
That’s now how the world works in Pruitt’s eyes. Instead, his strategy appears to be one of creating an agenda counter to the purposes of the EPA—an agenda of protecting corporations from scrutiny and laws—and promoting that agenda from within the EPA instead.
An agency dedicated to protecting the environment should obviously seek other leaders, but unfortunately in the era of the Trump administration, government officials are meant to impede, slow down or undo the work of the agencies they lead.
Pruitt hasn’t been confirmed for the position yet, but there’s little evidence that congress will oppose his nomination.
Chances are the next head of the EPA will work to dismantle the organization that brought Americans clean air, the removal of lead paint from children’s toys, the end of widespread use of DDT, the first limits on how factories can pollute waterways and the first processes to control and track hazardous waste to ensure it isn’t secretly and illegally dumped in rivers in the middle of the night, as companies were doing in the 70s.
Corporations have a lot to look forward to this year with Trump’s government appointees and cabinet picks. Average Americans, not so much.