Key Vote YES on the Nomination of Scott Pruitt to Serve as EPA Administrator

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to support the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The executive branch has grown far too powerful, frequently circumventing Congress to enact rules and regulations that reach far beyond legislative intent. The executive branch, relying on the regulatory state, has become a legislature unto itself, erasing the separation of powers in the Constitution. As a result, American consumers and businesses face a nearly $2 trillion regulatory burden.

The EPA has become the most notorious offender in the unconstitutional fourth branch of government that we know as the regulatory state. It has promulgated rules and regulations, such as the Clean Power Plan, aimed at destroying an entire industry, hurting workers and their families.

The negative impact on jobs and the economy are the driving reason why International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the United Mine Workers of America joined the 27-state lawsuit, West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, to strike down the Clean Power Plan on the grounds that the EPA had no authority under the Clean Air Act to promulgate the rule.

Not only have thousands of Americans lost jobs as a result of EPA rules and regulations, the energy sector will spend between $41 billion and $73 billion annually to comply with the Clean Power Plan, and consumers and businesses owners face up to $39 billion annually in higher energy costs.

A November 2015 study on the impact of the Clean Power Plan projected that consumers in North Dakota and West Virginia will see price increases of 43 percent and 33 percent. Consumers in Missouri and Montana will pay 24 percent more, while those in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio will see increases of 20 percent, 17 percent, and 15 percent.

Attorney General Pruitt’s nomination represents the opportunity to reverse this trend. Under his leadership at the EPA, Americans can have safe air and water and protection from government overreach through rules and regulations. Attorney General Pruitt is a staunch believer in federalism and Article I of the Constitution, which charges the legislative branch with the power to make laws, not executive-level regulatory agencies. He has also seen the negative impact regulation has on businesses and consumers.

To stress the sense of importance and urgency of Attorney General Pruitt’s confirmation to serve as administrator of the EPA, FreedomWorks will take the extraordinary step of scoring his nomination in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the EPA.

Please contact your senators and ask them to vote YES on Scott Pruitt’s nomination to serve as administrator of the EPA. FreedomWorks will count the committee and floor votes on this nomination when calculating our Scorecard for 2017. The scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes Members of the House and Senate who consistently vote to support economic freedom and individual liberty.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon. President and CEO, FreedomWorks