Trump Picks Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to Head EPA

The selection of Scott Pruitt, a climate change denier, who is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, signals the incoming Trump Administration's antipathy for the environmental legacy of its predecessor.

2 minute read

December 8, 2016, 2:00 PM PST

By Irvin Dawid


Scott Pruitt

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. | Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Two days after meeting with former Vice President Al Gore, a climate activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, President-elect Trump has selected "Mr. Pruitt, a Republican, (and) key architect of the legal battle against Mr. Obama’s climate change policies," report Coral Davenport and Eric Lipton for The New York Times.

“During the campaign, Mr. Trump regularly threatened to dismantle the E.P.A. and roll back many of the gains made to reduce Americans’ exposures to industrial pollution, and with Pruitt, the president-elect would make good on those threats,” said Ken Cook, head of the Environmental Working Group, a Washington research and advocacy organization.

Trump's ability to roll-back President Obama's climate initiative by executive orders is limited, "[b]ut a legally experienced E.P.A. chief could substantially weaken, delay or slowly take them apart," write Davenport and Lipton.

The Times reporters also detail the close working relationship that Pruitt established with the fossil fuel industry as Oklahoma attorney general.

Mr. Pruitt’s office also began to send letters to federal regulators — including the E.P.A. and even to President Obama — that documents obtained through open records requests show were written by energy industry lobbyists from companies including [Oklahoma City-based] Devon Energy. Mr. Pruitt’s staff put these ghostwritten letters on state government stationery and then sent them to Washington...

"Pruitt, who has written that the debate on climate change is 'far from settled,' joined a coalition of state attorneys general in suing the agency’s Clean Power Plan," reports The Washington Post. "He has also sued, with fellow state attorneys general, over the EPA’s recently announced regulations seeking to curtail the emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from the oil and gas sector."

"With so much at stake, Mr. Pruitt’s confirmation hearings promise to be heated," add Davenport and Lipton.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

Rendering of autonomous cargo train moving across bridge across river in wooded area between Texas and Mexico.

Trump Approves Futuristic Automated Texas-Mexico Cargo Corridor

The project could remove tens of thousands of commercial trucks from roadways.

2 hours ago - FreightWaves

Rendering of white three-story single-stair building in Austin, Texas with staircase in the middle.

Austin's First Single Stair Apartment Building is Officially Underway

Eliminating the requirement for two staircases in multi-story residential buildings lets developers use smaller lots and more flexible designs to create denser housing.

3 hours ago - Building Design & Construction

MARTA bus with Atlanta skyline in background

Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access

MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.

4 hours ago - Mass Transit