Pruitt says carbon dioxide not a major climate threat

March 21st, 2017 by Dakota Software Staff Industry News

In a major yet somewhat expected policy shift for the Environmental Protection Agency, the organization's head has stated he believes man-made carbon dioxide is not a major contributor to global warming. Pruitt expressed a high level of uncertainty about the driving forces behind weather and climate changes that have a global effect.

A substantial pivot for the EPA
Speaking with CNBC TV show host Joe Kernen on March 9, Pruitt said he thinks there are plenty of reasons to doubt the assumed causes of climate change and further investigation is needed, an article from the news organization said. If that position carries over into policy directives and programs at the EPA, it would put that agency in conflict with the climate change stances held by other federal agencies including NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"I think that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact, so no, I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," Pruitt said on the program, according to CNBC.

The position is not a surprise when compared to previous actions taken and statements made by the EPA chief. In his role as attorney general for Oklahoma, he combated the federal environmental regulator over a variety of issues, including the Clean Power Plan. One of the lawsuits brought against the EPA over the CPP involved Pruitt, and he was an active opponent. Shortly after taking office as EPA chief, he indicated the CPP would be rolled back and federal standards brought back to previous settings.

National Public Radio reported the new head of the federal agency responsible for environmental regulations had recently said the Paris Agreement on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was not a good deal for the U.S. NPR also said Pruitt announced plans to address the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, which set gas mileage goals for many automobiles.

The statements made by Pruitt are another indicator of the major changes that have and will continue to affect the EPA as time goes on. Once a strong supporter of man-made climate change and a regular enactor of policies based on that position, the agency is now likely moving in the opposite direction. For businesses impacted by new rules and changes to old ones, the final result could be fewer regulations.