US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt today signaled a more restrained regulatory posture from the agency, with an increased role for states and a greater recognition of limits on federal authority.
EPA needs to do a better job of providing certainty to regulated industries and must become more cooperative with the state agencies that are often tasked with implementing federal environmental regulations, Pruitt said in brief remarks to agency staff.
Pruitt stressed the need to provide more regulatory certainty by taking a number of steps, including being more transparent in rule-making processes and honoring limits on the authority Congress has given the agency, he said.
"The only authority that any agency has in the executive branch is the authority given to it by Congress," Pruitt said.
When EPA does not heed those limits, it can lead to litigation and more regulatory uncertainty, he said.
In addition, Pruitt said he wants to improve EPA's relations with the states so that they do not view federal regulators as adversaries. "Federalism matters. Congress has been very prescriptive in providing in many instances a very robust role, an important role, for the states," he said.
President Donald Trump chose Pruitt to lead EPA in an effort to reshape an agency that some Republicans say has overstepped its authority from Congress and has published regulations that are impeding economic development. As attorney general for Oklahoma, Pruitt was involved in a number of efforts to overturn EPA regulations issued by former president Barack Obama's administration, including multi-state lawsuits against the Clean Power Plan to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants, mercury regulations and federal ozone air quality standards.
Many of those regulations will likely be targeted for rollbacks or repeals by Pruitt, whom Trump picked for the job in part because of his opposition to Obama's so-called "war on coal."
The Senate confirmed Pruitt last week by a 52-46 vote, largely along party lines. Senate Democrats had attempted to delay a vote after a judge ruled that the nominee had to hand over thousands of pages of documents related to his correspondence with the fossil fuel industry while attorney general. Pruitt is required to turn over approximately 3,000 documents by today, with more to come before the end of the month.
Despite his hostility to some EPA actions, Pruitt said he is committed to the agency's role in protecting the nation's air and water. "I seek to listen, learn and lead with you," he said.
