Controversial Pick for EPA | Russell T. Rudy Energy LLC
As a candidate for president, Donald Trump promised to “Make America Great Again”. Part of his plan to achieve this was by reducing taxes and alleviating the burden of regulation on business. Many of the regulations in question had been issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Based on his recent nomination of Scott Pruitt to head the Agency, this was not a hollow promise.
“Rigzone” reports that Pruitt, the current Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma, joined with other Republican attorneys general in a 28 state lawsuit to block some of the EPA’s climate change related regulations. To date, Pruitt’s efforts have been successful and the case will likely end up in the U. S. Supreme Court for final resolution.
Predictably, reaction to the Pruitt nomination depends on where you stand on environmental regulation. Conservatives, investors, and industry advocates are ecstatic. Liberals, environmentalists, and Obama administration officials are vehemently opposed. Apparently the only thing that all parties have in common is the intensity of their emotions.
Sterling Burnet with the Heartland Institute, a conservative and libertarian think tank, termed Pruitt’s appointment “One small appointment for Trump, one giant leap for environmental sanity.”
Terry Haines with investment banking advisory firm, Evercore ISI, sees the nomination as a great benefit to many industries, including oil and gas, automobiles, and metals and mining. While Haines predicts that Pruitt will likely be confirmed by the Republican majority Senate, he will face strong Democratic opposition.
Opponents of the Pruitt nomination are equally passionate. Dan Pfeiffer, former advisor to Barack Obama, and currently a CNN contributor, has tweeted, “At the risk of being dramatic, Scott Pruitt at EPA is an existential threat to the planet.”
Bernie Sanders called the pick “sad and dangerous”. He went on to say, “Mr. Pruitt’s record is not only that of a climate change denier, but also someone who has worked closely with the fossil fuel industry to make this country more dependent, not less, on fossil fuels. The American people must demand leaders who are willing to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels.”
When one considers the Pruitt nomination in conjunction with Trump’s more recent pick of congresswoman, and oil and gas industry advocate, Cathy McMorris Rodgers for Secretary of the Interior, it is clear that we can expect better treatment at the federal level for the next four years.
To read the article in its entirety, please go to http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?hpf=1&a_id=147713&utm .
Russell T. Rudy Energy, LLC buys oil, gas and mineral interests nationwide. Please call (800-880-0940), or write (info@rudyenergy.com ) to let us know if you agree, disagree or would just like to comment on this, or any of our posts.
