Throughout his nearly seven-hour hearing, Scott Pruitt was “steadfast” in his convictions and laid out the case for why his approach would restore the EPA to its “proper role” so that it protects the environment while not stifling the free market:
AP: “President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told senators Wednesday that he intended to work cooperatively with states and industry to return the federal watchdog to what he called its proper role.”
NY Times: “Scott Pruitt, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, went on the offensive in his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, criticizing federal rules protecting air and water and addressing climate change, and forcefully advocating a states’ rights approach to environmental regulation.”
CNN: “Testifying before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Pruitt said the EPA serves a critical mission and detailed how the agency under his leadership would take a dramatically different approach than under President Barack Obama.”
Politico: “Pruitt addressed conservatives’ complaints about the EPA, promising lawmakers that under his leadership, the agency would stop ‘picking winners and losers,’ according to prepared remarks.”
The Hill: “President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told a Senate committee on Wednesday that states should play a bigger role in environmental regulation. ‘I believe the role of the regulator is to make things regular,’ Scott Pruitt said early in his confirmation hearing.”
CNBC: “Pruitt said he believes there is a very important role for the EPA, particularly in handling air and water quality issues across state lines.”
Dallas News: “Blasting the Environmental Protection Agency as an institution that many Americans now fear, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt pledged Wednesday to rein in the agency if confirmed as its next leader. … And Pruitt made his pitch to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on behalf of ‘hardworking Americans who want to do the right thing by the environment.’”
The Week: “Pruitt declared his EPA would adhere to the ‘rule of law’ and that he would focus on restoring the public’s ‘trust’ in the federal government. He also expressed a desire for EPA officials to ‘be seen as partners, not adversaries’ and for the agency itself to ‘provide more assistance to states,’ National Journal’s Jason Plautz reports.”
STAT: “Critics slammed Pruitt’s response as an uninformed and dangerously naive perspective on a critical environmental health issue. But, in fact, Pruitt’s not alone in his uncertainty on this question. There’s an ongoing debate among scientists and regulators about how much lead is too much for kids to have in their bodies. … Pruitt’s statement that he would be concerned about “any level” of lead ingestion reflects the existing consensus.”
Jamie Dupree, Congressional Reporter: “Neither Price nor Pruitt getting ruffled at all by Democratic questions at their confirmation hearings”
TownHall: “Obama’s EPA Disasters Highlighted During Scott Pruitt’s Senate Hearing”
The DailyCaller: “Throughout the hearing, though, Pruitt remained steadfast in his view the EPA needs to be reined in and ‘cooperative federalism’ restored.”
Senator John Barrasso: “Pruitt has taken on polluters, include the oil industry, when there is cause”
Senator Shelly Moore Capito: “Comforting to know that @ScottPruittOK would visit WV to see firsthand the economic devastation current @EPA has caused.”
Senator Tom Cotton: “Scott Pruitt has been a tireless fighter of overregulation. I look forward to supporting his nomination to lead EPA.”
Senator James Lankford: “#ScottPruitt is a statesman, a dedicated public servant, & an ardent defender of the rule of law.”
Senator David Perdue: “Scott Pruitt has earned bipartisan respect & recognition as OK Attorney General. Great pick to lead #EPA.”
