Pruitt: Obama is no environmental ‘savior’
Source: Niina Heikkinen, E&E News reporter • Posted: Friday, September 15, 2017
The administrator of U.S. EPA lambasted the previous administration for environmental disasters such as the Gold King mine spill in Colorado and lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich., in a recent interview with the Washington Examiner.
“I’ve got to say this to you: What is it about the past administration? Everyone looks at the Obama administration as being the environmental savior. Really?” Pruitt said.
Instead, Pruitt emphasized how the agency under Trump had adopted a “Back to Basics” agenda, which he has billed as an effort to return the agency’s focus to protecting clean air and water.
His criticisms of the Obama administration mirror comments Pruitt made this summer during his “State Action Tour.”
Speaking on a conservative Dallas radio show last month, Pruitt slammed Obama’s EPA for not achieving high enough air quality standards nationwide (Climatewire, Aug. 15).
“What’s so great about the past administration’s past environmental record? Forty percent of the country lives in areas that don’t meet air quality standards, 120 million people,” he said.
“They tried to regulate CO2 twice and struck out twice, and what did that achieve for the environment? Nothing,” Pruitt added.