July 16th, 2018 by Dakota Software Staff
Scott Pruitt, the former Environmental Protection Agency chief administrator who resigned from the position in early July, is now gone from the federal watchdog. Understanding the circumstances that led to his departure and what's next for the environmental regulator is vital to recognize potential future actions and regulatory shifts by the agency.
"Scott Pruitt is now gone from the EPA."
Pruitt began serving as the leader of the EPA in February 2017, moving into a senior federal government role after many years serving as a state legislator and attorney general in Oklahoma. He was known nationally during his time as Oklahoma's chief legal advisor and law enforcement officer as a frequent challenger of environmental regulations and policies developed under the Barack Obama administration. Major initiatives Pruitt combated included the Clean Power Plan and the Waters of the United States rules.
Pruitt's appointment to the chief administrator role by President Donald Trump was seen by many as a major shift from the previous administration's environmental efforts, and the new EPA leader wasted little time making major changes to existing policy. The fruits of those efforts varied. Some rules were weakened or removed entirely, while others weren't materially affected.
During Pruitt's time in office, a number of ethical concerns arose. The former chief administrator faced more than a dozen inquiries and probes into various managerial and spending practices, The Washington Post said. Those issues eventually led to Pruitt's resignation - although Bloomberg reported his decision to leave came after John Kelly, White House chief of staff, relayed a message from the president that strongly encouraged the departure. Some of the inquiries into Pruitt's actions may continue and yield more information about his time as the chief administrator, even though he's already left his position.
"Wheeler likely has similar policy positions as Pruitt on many issues."
With Pruitt out of office, leadershipof the federal environmental regulator shifted to Andrew Wheeler, who formerly served as the deputy to the chief administrator. Although currently serving in an interim role, it's possible Wheeler could take on the role on a more permanent basis, following the completion of necessary procedures for appointment. Wheeler didn't directly mention Pruitt in statements made when he took over the office, according to The Hill.
The decision to avoid recognizing Pruitt could stem from Wheeler's stated commitment to be more transparent and improve communications between the EPA and outside groups. Pruitt had operated in a way that avoided the release of any unnecessary information - and even some required data. He was successfully sued during his tenure over a refusal to release his official calendars.
"Acting Administrator Wheeler has already stated that he puts a premium on transparency and that transparency helps the Agency so people know and understand what we are doing," said John Konkus, Wheeler's spokesperson, to The Hill. "I think you can take that mindset and apply it across the board when it comes to how EPA will be communicating with the media and the public going forward."
Wheeler's background is similar to Pruitt's in terms of policy, as he's expressed a level of misgivings about man-made climate change and has served in lobbyist roles in the past. However, he also spent several years at the EPA in the 1990s. There likely won't bemanymajor changes in terms of agency directives, but the way Wheeler communicates and budgets could be greatly different from his predecessor.
For businesses, the change in leadership could mean few overall changes from Pruitt's time at the helm. While Wheeler's proposed openness to the media andgeneralpublic could result in a less combative chief administrator's office, he intends to pursue many of the same initiatives Pruitt did during his leadership of the agency.
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