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Abboud, Michael [/0=EXCHANGELABS/OU=EXCHANGE ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP
(FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/CN=RECIPIENTS/CN=B6F5AF791A1842F1ADCC088CBF9ED3CE-ABBOUD, MIC]
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4/3/2018 4:11:36 PM
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Saagar Enjeti [enjeti@dailycaller.com]; Wilcox, Jahan [/o=ExchangeLabs/ou=Exchange Administrative Group
(FYDIBOHF23SPDLT)/cn=Recipients/cn=88fd588e97d3405d869bcae98d391984-Wilcox, Ja h]
Subject:
RE: Daily Caller WH Correspondent: Can we talk about EPA wins for the administration?
Attachments: 4.3.18 Year in Review Accomplishments.docx
Jahan will call you but below are some clips from Pruitt's first year in office and attached is accomplishments from the first year.
WHO IS SCOTT PRUITT ...
Scott Pruitt: Politics, baseball and Jesus. "Politics, baseball and Jesus. That's what Scott Pruitt and his friend and campaign manager Matt Pinnell talked about as they crisscrossed Oklahoma in 2006 trying to get Pruitt elected lieutenant governor. Politics, baseball and Jesus. With his energy and persistence, they have carried Pruitt to victory and nursed him through defeat. And they have him on the verge of running the agency many view as the embodiment of government regulation run amok, the Environmental Protection Agency." (Tulsa World. 01/16/17)
Scott Pruitt, outspoken and forceful, moves to the center of power within the Trump administration. "Less than four months ago, Scott Pruitt arrived in Washington with few connections to President Trump's inner circle and took the helm of an agency where many employees were openly hostile to him. But the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has emerged as one of the most influential policy architects in the president's Cabinet, a skilled and sometimes brash lawyer who is methodically taking apart a slew of regulations and agreements affecting a range of issues, from manufacturing operations to landfills." (The Washington Post. 06/02/17)
Scott Pruitt's Back-to-Basics Agenda for the EPA. "Republican presidents tend to nominate one of two types of administrator to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. The first is the centrist--think Christie Todd Whitman (2001-03)--who might be equally at home in a Democratic administration. The other is the fierce conservative--think Anne Gorsuch (1981-83)--who views the agency in a hostile light. Scott Pruitt, whom the Senate confirmed Friday, 52-46, doesn't fit either mold. His focus is neither expanding nor reducing regulation. There is no reason why EPA's role should ebb or flow based on a particular administration, or a particular administrator,' he says. 'Agencies exist to administer the law. Congress passes statutes, and those statutes are very clear on the job EPA has to do. We're going to do that job.' You might call him an EPA originalist." (The Wall Street Journal. 02/17/17)
PRUITT REGARDING CLEAN POWER PLAN ... EPA moves to repeal Obama's Clean Power Plan coal regs. "EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Monday that the Trump administration is moving to scrap the Clean Power Plan, the Obama administration's signature regulatory program to curb emissions from coal-fired power plants. Pruitt made the announcement at an event in Hazard, Ky., casting the previous policy as unfair. "That rule really was about picking winners and losers," Pruitt said. "The past administration was unapologetic, they were using every bit of power, authority to use the EPA to pick winners and losers on how we pick electricity in this country. That is wrong." (Fox News. 10/09/17)
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EPA's Pruitt moves to repeal Obama-era Clean Power Plan. "EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Tuesday formally proposed repealing the Obama administration's "Clean Power Plan," in a move to ease regulations on coal-fired power plants. The EPA said the move to repeal would facilitate new developments of U.S. energy resources and reduce unnecessary rules that have curbed their development. "The president made a promise to the American people that the EPA would not be an agency that picks winners and losers as we generate electricity in this country," Pruitt told Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" Tuesday night. "The [Obama] administration made a commitment to declare a war on coal. And effective yesterday and today, that war is over." The EPA said in a statement that the agency wants to declare that the Clean Power Plan exceeded the government's authority." (Fox News, 10/10/17)
Pruitt's Clean Power Break. "The Trump Administration is giving the economy a boost with its deregulatory agenda, and the latest example comes Tuesday when Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt will propose to repeal the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan. Ending this power grab will uphold the letter of the law and restore cooperative federalism with the states." (The Wall Street Journal, 10/08/17)
BACK-TO-BASICS AGENDA... Press Release April 20, 2017 https://www.epa.gov/home/back-basics-agenda
Administrator Pruitt's "Back-to-Basics Agenda" reflects his efforts to refocus EPA on its intended mission, return power to the states and create an environment where jobs can grow. The agenda focuses on the three E's:
Environment: Protecting the environment Economy: Sensible regulations that allow economic growth Engagement: Engaging with state and local partners.
Administrator Pruitt kicked off his "Back to Basics Agenda" on April 13 at the Harvey Mine in Sycamore, Pennsylvania. He spoke with coal miners about the president's recent Energy Independence Executive Order, which directs EPA and other federal agencies to review the Clean Power Plan and revise regulatory barriers that impede energy independence, including unnecessary burdens on coal miners and coal-fired electric utilities. (Reuters, 07/12/17)
CLIMATE CHANGE ... REUTERS: The consensus has been overwhelming that climate change has been caused by human beings... PRUITT: That's not the question. It is not a question about whether the climate is warming. It is not a question about whether human activity contributes to it. It is a question about how much we contribute to it? How do we measure that with precision? And by the way, are we on an unsustainable path? And what harm...is it causing an existential threat? (Reuters, 07/12/17)
PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION'S SO-CALLED ACCOMPLISHMENTS (FLINT & GOLD KING MINE)... "The water crisis in Flint, which still affects thousands of that Michigan city's residents, emerged in surprising ways at the hearing for EPA nominee and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. In his remarks opening the hearing, Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) cited Flint as an example of what Pruitt would need to fix -- and what the Obama administration had wrought. 'The regulatory zeal of the last eight years has violated a fundamental principle of environmental stewardship, which is 'do no harm,'' said Barrasso. "This failed environmental leadership has contributed to two of the worst government-created environmental disasters in decades: the Gold King Mine spill, and Flint, Michigan's water crisis.' There was a shift in the usual poker-faced expressions of Democrats when Barrasso said that. The Gold King Mine spill was
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the direct fault of the EPA, which botched the handling of a wastewater study. But the Flint crisis, and the presence of lead in water that poisoned residents for a year, was created by a confluence of factors. In a 2016 report, the EPA took blame for not alerting the public about the problem with lead in the water, but said that it had done so out of a preponderance of caution." (The Washington Post, 01/18/17)
Pruitt's EPA awarded $100 million to upgrade drinking water in Flint, Michigan. "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today awarded a $100 million grant to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to fund drinking water infrastructure upgrades in Flint, Mich." (Press Release, 03/17/17)
Pruitt's EPA committed additional funds surround the Gold King Mine release, bringing the total to $29 million. "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided over $90,000 in additional reimbursements to five entities in Colorado and Utah for their costs incurred responding to the August 5, 2015, Gold King Mine release." (Press Release, 03/16/17)
WORKING WITH STATE & LOCAL LEADERS ... In his first week, Pruitt met with 18 Governors. "In his first week on the job as EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt has now met with 18 Governors and Lieutenant Governors, putting into action his promise of an open door policy and a new beginning of partnership with the states." (Press Release, 02/26/17)
EPA Administrator Pruitt met with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt will deliver remarks to the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Leadership Meeting tomorrow to discuss agency priorities under the Trump Administration." (Press Release, 03/01/17)
Administrator Scott Pruitt sent letters to state governors advising them that they are under no obligation to adhere to the Clean Power Plan rule. "The days of coercive federalism are over," the letter reads. "Accordingly, I look forward to working with you, your state experts and local communities as we develop a path forward to improve our environment and bolster the economy in a manner that is respectful of and consistent with the rule of law." (Press Release, 03/30/17)
WORKING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP ON ROLLING BACK OBAMA'S AGENDA ... An executive order was issued to rescind WOTUS. "President Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued an executive order to rescind or revise the 2015 Clean Water Rule: Definition of 'Waters of the United States.'" (Press Release, 02/28/17)
An executive order was issued to rescind the so-called Clean Power Plan. "Today, at the Environmental Protection Agency surrounded by American energy workers, public employees and members of Congress, President Donald Trump signed the Energy Independence Executive Order to protect thousands of jobs and strengthen energy security, while also ensuring that our policies provide clean air and clean water for all of our citizens." (Press Release, 03/28/17)
EXAMINING COSTLY REGULATIONS... EPA to reexamine emission standards for cars and light duty trucks. '"These standards are costly for automakers and the American people,' said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. 'We will work with our partners at DOT to take a fresh look to determine if this approach is realistic. This thorough review will help ensure that this national program is good for consumers and good for the environment.'" (Press Release, 03/15/17)
EPA Administrator seeks additional time to review RMP Rule. "Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a proposed rule this week to further delay the effective date of EPA's Risk Management Program (RMP) Amendments to allow EPA time to complete the process for reconsidering the RMP Amendments issued on January 17, 2017."
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(Press Release. 03/31/17)
EPA extended the comment period on the Hard Rock Mining proposed rule that could cost businesses $171 million annually. "The Environmental Protection Agency today issued a 120-day extension of the comment period related to proposed financial responsibility requirements for the hard rock mining industry. The Agency has received dozens of requests to extend the comment period. EPA estimates predict the implementation of these requirements would cost American businesses up to $171 million a year." (Press Release. 02/24/17)
CLEANING UP THE ENVIRONMENT ... The EPA kicks-off cleanup at the West Oakland Superfund site. "[The EPA] joined local leaders and community members in Oakland to celebrate the installation and start-up of a new groundwater and soil treatment system at the AMCO Chemical Superfund Site." (Press Release, 03/18/17)
The EPA will resume cleanup at the East Chicago Superfund site. "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to resume cleanup work in zones 2 and 3 of the USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago in April. EPA has reached an agreement with several potentially responsible parties to fund part of this work valued at an estimated $16 million - in addition to the $26 million already secured for work under a 2014 consent decree." (Press Release. 03/20/17)
EPA set to oversee second phase of $43 million cleanup of Pompton Lake. "The second phase of Pompton Lake cleanup will begin this spring and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding a public session to discuss that work." (Press Release. 03/28/17) SUPERFUNDS & WEST LAKE SUPERFUND ...
At Superfund sites, Scott Pruitt could flip his industry-friendly script. "In pressing for aggressive, accelerated cleanups, he is butting heads with companies while siding at times with local environmental groups. His supporters, and Pruitt himself, say it is evidence he is reinvigorating a core function of the agency. His critics see it as a political move, an effort to protect himself against charges that he constantly favors corporate interests. Yet Pruitt's attention is shifting the conversation in some beleaguered communities. Residents say they don't care what his motivations are -- if those bring the results they've long sought. 'Scott Pruitt is probably the most important person right now in the lives of the people in this community,' said Dawn Chapman, who lives with her husband and three children near a controversial site northwest of St. Louis. The landfill there, known as West Lake, contains thousands of tons of radioactive waste from the World War ll-era Manhattan Project. Chapman and other activists are pushing for significant excavation. Pruitt has promised them he will issue a decision within days. There are signs he might seek more extensive -- and expensive -- removal than EPA staff have recommended in the past. As is the case in Texas, the companies on the hook for the cleanup contend that years of scientific evidence show capping the waste in place would be safer, cheaper and completed sooner. 'Depending on the decision [Pruitt] makes,' Chapman said, 'he will probably forever remain the hero or the villain in the eyes of this community.'" (The Washington Post, 01/23/18)
Scott Pruitt vows to speed the nation's Superfund cleanups. Communities wonder how. "Dawn Chapman had listened with surprise and skepticism as the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency vowed to clean up West Lake, the nuclear waste dump that has filled her days and nights with worry. 'The past administration honestly just didn't pay attention to [it],' Scott Pruitt stressed on a local radio show in April. "We're going to get things done at West Lake. The days of talking are over.' The next month, Pruitt took to television to say a plan for the site was coming 'very soon' as part of his push to prioritize Superfund cleanups across the country. 'It's not a matter of money,' he said. 'It's a matter of leadership and attitude and management.' On a blue-sky afternoon, Chapman sat in her small home in this leafy St. Louis suburb and mulled the latest set of promises from Washington -- this time from a man known more for suing the EPA and
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rolling back environmental regulations than for cracking down on pollution. 'Why our site? Why now? Can he keep those promises?' the mother of three wondered. Her family lives only a couple of miles from West Lake, a contaminated landfill that contains thousands of tons of waste from the World War ll-era Manhattan Project. 'My biggest fear is he's just going to put a Band-Aid on it.'" (The Washington Post, 06/18/17)
West Lake has been on EPA's Superfund list for 28 years, yet no decision has been made about how to clean up this toxic land site, which will change next week. "The West Lake Landfill Superfund Site is located in Bridgeton, Mo. The site consists of several inactive landfills, including the West Lake Landfill and the Bridgeton Landfill. Originally used for agriculture, the land became a limestone quarrying and crushing operation in 1939. Beginning in the early 1950s, portions of the quarried areas and adjacent areas were used to dispose of municipal refuse, industrial solid wastes, and construction/demolition debris. In 1973, around 8,700 tons of leached barium sulfate from the Manhattan Project, a World War II nuclear bomb development program, was mixed with approximately 38,000 tons of soil and used to cover trash being dumped during daily operations. In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed the site on the National Priorities List under the Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (Superfund law). The Agency listed the entire 200-acre facility and has since designated multiple Operable Units at the site to manage various areas and environmental media. Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) contains radiologically-impacted material (RIM). Operable Unit 2 (OU-2) does not contain radiological material. Operable Unit 3 (OU-3) will address site-wide groundwater. The adjacent Bridgeton Landfill, which is a part of OU-2, is part of the Superfund Site, but remains under the regulatory authority and oversight of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. (EPA, Accessed 01/24/18)
West Lake on EPA list of Superfund sites targeted for 'immediate1action. "The West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, which contains nuclear waste from the World War II effort to build the atomic bomb, is one of 21 toxic-waste sites President Donald Trump's administration has now targeted for 'immediate, intense action.' The Environmental Protection Agency released the list late Friday, a day after EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told a House of Representatives subcommittee that he would announce a recommendation on a cleanup plan at West Lake sometime in January. It's part of what Pruitt described as an effort to spur action on "Superfund" toxic waste sites that have languished on the list for many years. West Lake has been on the list since 1990. 'In developing this initial list, EPA considered sites that can benefit from Administrator Pruitt's direct engagement and have identifiable actions to protect human health and the environment,' the EPA said in announcing the new list. 'These are sites requiring timely resolution of specific issues to expedite cleanup and redevelopment efforts. The list is designed to spur action at sites where opportunities exist to act quickly and comprehensively. The administrator will receive regular updates on each of these sites.' Neighbors have long complained that the site is causing health problems in people who live nearby." (The St. Louis Post Dispatch, 12/08/17)
Pruitt set to make decision in the coming days regarding the West Lake Superfund Site. "In pressing for aggressive, accelerated cleanups, he is butting heads with companies while siding at times with local environmental groups. His supporters, and Pruitt himself, say it is evidence he is reinvigorating a core function of the agency. His critics see it as a political move, an effort to protect himself against charges that he constantly favors corporate interests. Yet Pruitt's attention is shifting the conversation in some beleaguered communities. Residents say they don't care what his motivations are -- if those bring the results they've long sought. 'Scott Pruitt is probably the most important person right now in the lives of the people in this community,' said Dawn Chapman, who lives with her husband and three children near a controversial site northwest of St. Louis. The landfill there, known as West Lake, contains thousands of tons of radioactive waste from the World War ll-era Manhattan Project. Chapman and other activists are pushing for significant excavation. Pruitt has promised them he will issue a decision within days. There are signs he might seek more extensive -- and expensive -- removal than EPA staff have recommended in the past. As is the case in Texas,
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the companies on the hook for the cleanup contend that years of scientific evidence show capping the waste in place would be safer, cheaper and completed sooner. 'Depending on the decision [Pruitt] makes,' Chapman said, 'he will probably forever remain the hero or the villain in the eyes of this community.'" (The Washington Post, 01/23/18)
Due to West Lake, parents drive their children as far away as possible from the community so their children can play. "'Actions speak louder than words,' said BrieAnn McCormick, whose neighborhood is closest to West Lake. Families here have long lived with the reality of the site, which got its Superfund designation in 1990. The 200 acres include not just the radioactive waste that was illegally dumped in 1973, but also an adjacent landfill where decomposing trash as deep as 150 feet is smoldering in what scientists call a "subsurface burning event." The fire is now about 600 feet from that other waste. West Lake has made Bridgeton the kind of place where some parents drive their children to playgrounds far from the landfill. Where some people keep homemade kits in their cars -- face masks for days the stench hits, eyedrops for irritation, Tylenol for headaches. Where others trade stories of cancers, autoimmune diseases and miscarriages they're scared could be related to the Superfund site, although air, water and soil tests from the EPA and other government agencies have shown no link." (The Washington Post, 06/18/17)
The previous administration moved at glacial place to address West Lake. "Activists fault the EPA for moving at a glacial pace. They accuse Republic Services, which took ownership of the landfill in 2008, of trying to avoid full-fledged cleanup. Similar dynamics are playing out at many Superfund sites, where abandoned mines, contaminated rivers and manufacturing plants have left behind a daunting trail of lead, arsenic, mercury and other harmful substances. Some "mega sites" involve tracing hundreds of chemicals and scores of polluters." (The Washington Post. 06/18/17)
Pruitt is working on the redevelopment of Superfund sites in East Chicago, an area of land near the Seattle Seahawks and other places across the country. "Thirty-one of the country's most contaminated sites are likely to be available for building new housing, business or other development soon after they are cleaned up, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said today, a step that's part of Administrator Scott Pruitt's push to accelerate the cleanup and make the land available for community use... Another example on the list is a Superfund site on the coast of Lake Washington and close to the practice facility for the Seattle Seahawks. It was contaminated by coal tar and creosote from manufacturing until 1969 and a cleanup plan is expected to be finalized in 2019. The owner of the land wants to redevelop it for 10 buildings with retail and residential units, according to an EPA fact sheet." (ABC News, 01/17/18) After Harvey, EPA Administrator vows bold response to polluted sites around Houston. "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, who has visited Texas twice since Hurricane Harvey, vowed Thursday to have 'an answer' by next month for a permanent solution to clean up the San Jacinto River Waste Pits. 'What was concerning about that site in advance of the storm, and is a concern today, frankly, and that is that the response, the capping that's taken place, this agency's had to work through remediation efforts every year since 2011," he said in a Chronicle interview." (The Houston Chronicle, 09/22/17)
EPA approves plan to stabilize San Jacinto waste pits. "The Environmental Protection Agency has approved a plan to stabilize the riverbed near the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund site to address the hazards of a 20,000-square-foot area where Hurricane Harvey gouged a pit about 12 feet deep." (The Houston Chronicle. 10/20/17)
Waste Management secretly funded 'grassroots' opposition to toxic dump removal That Pruitt championed. "Court records obtained by FOX 26 reveal so called independent citizen groups opposing removal of the Dioxin were secretly receiving resources from Waste Management and its subsidiary McGinnes Industrial
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Management Corporation. That's important, because the $100 million cost of the cleanup ordered by the EPA will come straight out of the company's pocket. "It's important for the public to know this connection. For years we've wondered who's really behind these groups. It was clear that they had big money behind them, but there was no transparency with these groups," said Jackie Young of the Texas Health and Environment Alliance." (Fox 26 Houston. 01/18/18)
REFORMING OBAMA'S AGENDA...
EPA's Scott Pruitt touring states to push reversal of Obama water rule. "Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt visited South Carolina Monday as part of a multistate tour to promote his effort to redo the Obama administration's contentious Waters of the U.S. rule. The Trump administration and EPA are committed to empowering agriculture and business leaders who have been burdened with overreaching regulations that do little to promote environmental stewardship,' Pruitt said. 'By beginning the process to redefine WOTUS, we are providing regulatory certainty for South Carolinians while working together with the state to keep our waters clean.' The rule expanded the EPA's jurisdiction over waterways to include ditches and watering holes, making a wider range of stakeholders, from farmers to natural gas drillers, subject to the agency's authority. Pruitt initiated the WOTUS review earlier this month. Halting the regulation was part of an executive order that President Trump signed soon after taking office in January." (The Washington Examiner, 07/24/17)
EPA moves to repeal Obama's Clean Power Plan coal regs. "EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Monday that the Trump administration is moving to scrap the Clean Power Plan, the Obama administration's signature regulatory program to curb emissions from coal-fired power plants. Pruitt made the announcement at an event in Hazard, Ky., casting the previous policy as unfair. 'That rule really was about picking winners and losers,' Pruitt said. 'The past administration was unapologetic, they were using every bit of power, authority to use the EPA to pick winners and losers on how we pick electricity in this country. That is wrong.'" (Fox News, 10/09/17)
WAR ON LEAD ...
EPA's Scott Pruitt declares 'war on lead,' three years after Flint water crisis began. "EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has begun an effort to 'eradicate' lead poisoning from drinking water, more than three years after the crisis in Flint, Michigan, started. Pruitt hosted a meeting Jan. 8 for state and local officials at agency headquarters in Washington to obtain feedback on ways to update the 1991 Lead and Copper Rule, a federal mandate that dictates how communities test for lead in drinking water. It has not been revised in more than a decade." (The Washington Examiner. 01/23/18)
EPA moves toward updating lead water pipe standards. "The Trump administration is moving forward on potentially updating the 26-year-old standards meant to keep lead out of drinking water. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt reached out to groups representing states and municipalities in a Thursday letter, inviting them to meet next month about potential revisions the agency is considering to what's known as the Lead and Copper Rule." (The Hill, 12/14/17)
PEBBLE MINE ...
Citing risks to fisheries, EPA retains proposed development limits on Pebble mine. "In a surprise move that buoyed hopes of groups trying to stop the Pebble gold and copper prospect in western Alaska, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said Friday the agency would keep alive its proposed restrictions on the mine because of the threat it could pose to fisheries in the Bristol Bay region. Pruitt said in a statement Friday that
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he made the decision after reviewing public comments about the development limits, proposed by the EPA under Obama in 2014. 'Based on that review, it is my judgment at this time that any mining projects in the region likely pose a risk to the abundant natural resources that exist there,' he said. 'Until we know the full extent of that risk, those natural resources and world-class fisheries deserve the utmost protection.'" (Alaska Daily News. 01/26/18)
EPA Chief Reverses Course On Pebble Mine in Alaska. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is maintaining restrictions on the Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska, an unexpected reversal of what had been strong Trump administration support for one of the world's biggest mining projects. The administration had taken steps last summerto withdraw restrictions --advanced by Mr. Trump's Democratic predecessor--on development of the site. Friday's decision suspends that withdrawal, putting in limbo a permitting process that developers had been hoping would get fast-tracked under a GOP administration that has emphasized the need to help mining, drilling and manufacturing operations. The EPA has decided, for now, to agree with a decision by former President Barack Obama's administration that a major wild salmon spawning area--and the Native Alaskan communities that depend on them--merit special protection from the development. 'Any mining projects in the region likely pose a risk to the abundant natural resources that exist there,' EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. 'Until we know the full extent of that risk, those natural resources and world-class fisheries deserve the utmost protection.'... A 2014 EPA report said the Pebble mine could have significant adverse effects on the region's fisheries and the Native Alaskan communities that depend on them. Bristol Bay has the largest sockeye salmon fishery on globe, producing about half of the world's wild supply in 2014." (The Wall Street Journal, 01/26/18)
RFS ...
Challenges remain for Iowa renewable fuels advocates. "The EPA largely held steady the amount of renewable fuels to be blended into the nation's fuel supply at 19.3 billion gallons for 2018. It was the decision to keep the required amount of biodiesel production at 2.1 billion gallons that disappointed industry officials. Pruitt said the agency kept that number flat because the industry has never in one year produced the 2.5 billion gallons it sought for the requirement, and because the U.S. in 2016 imported 700 million gallons of biodiesel fuel from Argentina. If the industry produces more, the biodiesel target could increase in future years, Pruitt said. He said he plans to watch production levels closely this year. 'Hopefully they can produce and that will impact the numbers going forward. But we haven't done it yet, and we imported 700 million gallons last year from Argentina,' Pruitt said. 'We shouldn't be setting a number, in my view, that we have to rely upon people in Argentina to meet.'" (The Cedar Rapids Gazette, 12/03/17)
REFORMING EPA...
Pruitt moves to shake up EPA advisory boards by removing conflict of interest. "Scientists who receive grants from the Environmental Protection Agency will no longer be allowed to simultaneously serve on the agency's nearly two dozen advisory boards, an unprecedented directive EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said would increase the scientific integrity behind its rule-making. 'Whatever science that we are involved in here at the EPA shouldn't be political science/ Pruitt told a group of reporters Tuesday. 'We want to ensure that the American people have confidence ... in the process and that the advisers that we have in each of these respective capacities are providing independent, arms-length input to us as we make decisions.'" (USA Today, 10/31/17)
Administrator Pruitt Issues Directive to End EPA "Sue & Settle." "In fulfilling his promise to end the practice of regulation through litigation that has harmed the American public, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued an Agency-wide directive today designed to end "sue and settle" practices within the Agency, providing an
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unprecedented level of public participation and transparency in EPA consent decrees and settlement agreements. The days of regulation through litigation are over/ said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. 'We will no longer go behind closed doors and use consent decrees and settlement agreements to resolve lawsuits filed against the Agency by special interest groups where doing so would circumvent the regulatory process set forth by Congress. Additionally, gone are the days of routinely paying tens of thousands of dollars in attorney's fees to these groups with which we swiftly settle.'" (EPA Press Release, 10/16/17)
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