Senate Should Act Quickly to Confirm Scott Pruitt to Lead the EPA

Following the publication of an opinion piece in the Washington Examiner authored by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) on the nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon commented:

“The EPA is the most notorious example of government overreach. It has promulgated rules and regulations, like the Clean Power Plan, that are aimed at wiping out an entire industry, hurting workers while costing consumers and businesses tens of billions of dollars annually. Even labor unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Mine Workers of America have joined the 27-state lawsuit against the EPA.”

“The EPA’s war on coal has already cost West Virginia more than 1,300 jobs, more than 1,000 in Pennsylvania, and nearly 1,400 in Ohio. An analysis released last year 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.”

“Businesses and consumers already face a regulatory burden of nearly $2 trillion. Sen. Inhofe is right. The EPA is ‘a rogue agency distracted from its core functions.’ It now is the worst offender in this unconstitutional fourth branch of government that we know as the regulatory state. The Senate should act quickly to confirm Attorney General Pruitt to lead the EPA to begin the process of reining it in while striking a balance between protecting the environment and businesses and consumers.”

Sen. Inhofe serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which has jurisdiction over the EPA and confirmation of its administrator. FreedomWorks will score the committee and floor votes on General Pruitt’s nomination when calculating our Scorecard for 2017.

As of Wednesday, FreedomWorks has driven more than 5,500 contacts to senators and is organizing in-state office visits in support of Attorney General Pruitt’s nomination. Earlier this week, FreedomWorks activists visited the offices of Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Visits are planned for the offices of Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).

FreedomWorks aims to educate, build, and mobilize the largest network of activists advocating the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty and the rule of law. For more information, please visit www.FreedomWorks.org or contact Jason Pye at JPye@FreedomWorks.org.