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Articles on Scott Pruitt

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Scientists provide key input to government agencies on issues such as improving oil spill prevention and response after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. U.S. Coast Guard

History shows that stacking federal science advisory committees doesn’t work

Can federal agencies stack advisory panels with friendly members? Some have tried, but a scientist who has advised many administrations says they will produce bad policies that lack broad support.
Environmentalists are not fans of EPA chief Scott Pruitt. Reuters/Mike Theiler

How environmentalists can regroup for the Trump era

Green groups fighting Trump’s anti-environmental agenda should heed precedents from the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations. They can also learn from the Australian experience.
Snow geese settle on a wetland in North Dakota. If the Trump administration successfully rescinds the Clean Water Rule, many wetlands might lose federal protection. Krista Lundgren USFWS/Flickr

Does Scott Pruitt have a solid case for repealing the Clean Water Rule?

The Clean Water Rule spells out which streams, wetlands and other water bodies receive federal protection. The Trump administration wants to repeal it, but will face high hurdles in court.
Cleanup at the GE Housatonic Superfund site in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 2007. Years of PCB and industrial chemical use at GE’s Pittsfield facility and improper disposal led to extensive contamination around the town and down the entire length of the Housatonic River. USACE/Flickr

Cutting Superfund’s budget will slow toxic waste cleanups, threatening public health and property values

President Trump’s budget would cut funding for Superfund, which cleans up the nation’s most toxic sites, by nearly one-third. An economist explains how Superfund cleanups benefit local communities.
The outdoor retail industry is moving its lucrative trade show out of Utah after disputes with state officials over land conservation. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Climate politics: Environmentalists need to think globally, but act locally

President Trump says environmental regulation kills jobs. To fight back, conservation advocates need to show that protecting the environment can produce jobs and local benefits.
The current EPA administrator says the agency should prioritize clean air and clean water, rather than deal with greenhouse gases. billy_wilson/flickr

Now under attack, EPA’s work on climate change has been going on for decades

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said the agency’s purview should not include climate change, but a look at its history under both Republican and Democratic presidents says otherwise.
The bad old days: Public and political support for the EPA was highest when environmental problems like air and water pollution were more obvious than current problems like climate change or endocrine disruptors. U.S. National Archives

Why Trump’s EPA is far more vulnerable to attack than Reagan’s or Bush’s

Today’s political climate gives new EPA head Scott Pruitt a clear path to seriously cut back EPA enforcement – more than previous administrations.
President Donald Trump signs his first executive order, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Trump’s cabinet: Eight essential reads

Get ready for Senate hearings and confirmation votes on President Trump’s Cabinet picks by reading this roundup of key coverage from our archive.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt gestures as he answers a question during a news conference in Oklahoma City, Thursday, June 13, 2013. AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Can legal activist Scott Pruitt undo clean air and water protections as head of EPA?

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has sued the federal government repeatedly. If he becomes head of EPA and tries to weaken environmental laws, opponents are likely to do the same to him.

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