Scott Pruitt arrives at Trump Tower for a meeting on December 7th. (Getty)
Scott Pruitt, Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Environmental Protection agency, has been openly critical of the agency he would lead.
Pruitt was confirmed on February 17, even though, the night before, a judge in Oklahoma ordered him to turn over thousands of emails that critics say will show he has deep ties to the fossil fuel industry.
He’s also a climate change skeptic who’s fought the EPA as Oklahoma’s attorney general.
The Hill reports he’s expected to win confirmation, despite losing a Republican vote.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. A Judge Ordered Pruitt to Release Thousands of Emails Relating to the Oil, Gas & Coal Industries
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, arrives for the Inaugural Luncheon in the US Capitol January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
According to CNBC, an Oklahoma County judge on February 16 ordered Pruitt to “turn over thousands of communications to a watchdog group.”
The Washington Times reported that the emails are “related to his communications with the oil-and-gas industry.”
The Center for Media and Democracy had sued, alleging Pruitt was in violation of the open records laws because he wouldn’t release the documents, which the group requested in 2015, CNBC reported.
The judge ordered Pruitt to give about 3,000 emails to the group by Tuesday, February 21, according to CNBC. NBC reported that the liberal CMD organization asked for “correspondence between Pruitt’s office and Koch Industries, mining and drill companies and the Republican Attorneys General Association.”
2. Pruitt Was a State Senator Before Being Elected Oklahoma’s Attorney General
Scott Pruitt. (AG file photo)
Pruitt’s Attorney General biography says that, before being elected AG in 2010, he “served eight years in the Oklahoma State Senate where he was a leading voice for fiscal responsibility, religious freedom and pro-life issues.”
He’s known for his dramatic quotes. Pruitt once said, “The American People are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the environment and freedom for American businesses.”
3. Pruitt Says He’s Against the EPA’s ‘Activist Agenda’ & Has Fought Against the Agency He Would Now Lead
Scott Pruitt, Donald Trump’s nominee for EPA Administrator, is pictured during a meeting with US Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) on Capitol Hill January 4, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
In his bio, Pruitt is open about how he sees the EPA. Pruitt “is a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda,” the bio says.
Susan Collins, a Republican Senator from Maine, announced she would not vote for Pruitt, writing in a news release that “I have significant concerns that Mr. Pruitt actively opposed and sued EPA on numerous issues that are of great importance to the state of Maine, including mercury controls for coal-fired power plants and efforts to reduce cross-state air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
GOP Sen. Susan Collins breaks with her party, announces in a long release that she’s voting against Scott Pruitt to head the EPA.
The Hill reported that Republican Sen. John McCain won’t be there for the Pruitt vote but that Pruitt is expected to pick up two Democratic votes, meaning he’s likely headed for confirmation.
According to the New York Times, Pruitt’s nomination to run the EPA has so troubled people who work in the agency that they have called U.S. Senators urging them to oppose the pick. The Times says that Pruitt has “made a career out of fighting” the EPA, noting that Trump has vowed to get rid of the agency.
4. Pruitt Called Climate Change a ‘Religious Belief’ & Filed the First AG Lawsuit Against Obamacare
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Capitol Hill January 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
Pruitt filed the “first lawsuit challenging the implementation of the Affordable Care Act,” his bio says. He also has served two terms as president of the Republican Attorneys General Association, according to the bio.
Think Progress reports he once referred to another Senator when saying of climate change, “it is just a religious belief for him and for others.” The site reports that Pruitt sued the EPA 14 times.
Appearing before Congress, though, Pruitt “said he would not seek to overturn a 2009 finding allowing the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide, for instance, and acknowledged the reality of climate change” but said the role of humans in that was open to debate, according to Think Progress.
Green Peace alleges that previously obtained emails showed Pruitt “and other Republican attorneys general collaborating with corporations and lobbyists to file lawsuits and challenge federal regulations on everything from fracking to air pollution.”
Green Peace says that Pruitt “has received $318,496 in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry since 2002” and is a supporter of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
5. Pruitt Is Married With Two Children
Scott Pruitt has been married to his wife for 27 years. (Facebook)
According to his bio, Pruitt has been married to his wife, Marlyn, for more than 25 years. They have two children, McKenna and Cade.
You can read more about Pruitt’s wife and kids here: