Friday, February 17, 2017

SCOTT PRUITT NEW EPA ADMINISTRATOR


Those of us who were EPA employers in the 1980’s remember Ann Gorsuch. She was appointed the Administrator of the Agency by President Ronald Reagan with the sole purpose of dismantling EPA. Ann Gorsuch slashed EPA’s budget by 22 percent and aggressively rolled back clean air and clean water rules and other protections. In the first year of the Reagan administration, there was a 79 percent decline in the number of enforcement cases filed from regional offices to EPA headquarters, and a 69 percent decline in the number of cases filed from the EPA to the Department of Justice. She cut the total number of agency employees, and hired staff from the industries they were supposed to be regulating.

In 1982, Congress charged that the EPA had mishandled the $1.6 billion toxic waste Superfund and demanded records from Gorsuch. She refused and became the first agency director in U.S. history to be cited for contempt of Congress. In those days Congress had a backbone and had the courage to face down the President who claimed she need not turn over the documents citing Executive Privilege. In the end she had to resign her position after 22 months as Administrator.

Today Scott Pruitt was confirmed by the Senate to become EPA’s Administrator. He has the same mandate from President Trump as Anne Gorsuch had from President Reagan. This Congress has no backbone so I fear the worst for our Environment.

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