At Confirmation Hearing, Pruitt Discusses Plans To Fight Burdensome Regulations

Date: January 19, 2017

EPA Administrator-Designate Plans Rollback Of Obama-Era Water, Air Regulations

 

The incoming Trump Administration and many in Congress have discussed making the repeal of burdensome, costly Federal regulations a key priority in 2017. The New York Times reports that during Wednesday’s Senate hearing on EPA Administrator-designate Scott Pruitt’s nomination, Pruitt was sharply critical of “federal rules protecting air and water and addressing climate change,” and he championed “a states’ rights approach to environmental regulation.” Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Democrats “aggressively pressed” Pruitt on his record as Oklahoma attorney general, “noting that he has sued the E.P.A. 14 times in an effort to block federal air and water pollution regulations.” The Washington Post reports that Pruitt “declined to say Wednesday whether he would recuse himself from those ongoing cases if confirmed as the agency’s new leader.” Rather, Pruitt focused on discussing his “plans to steer the agency away from what he sees as an era of overzealous and unlawful regulation during the Obama years,” and towards being an agency that “respects the authority of states and is open to a ‘full range of views.’” The Hill reports that Pruitt’s opening statements emphasized the need for the EPA to work with states, and calling on the agency to listen “to the views of all interested stakeholders, including the states, so that it can determine how to realize its missions while considering true pragmatic impacts of its decisions on jobs, communities and most importantly families.”

What This Means For Small Businesses

Small businesses suffer the brunt of costs associated with Federal regulations. Though it remains to be seen whether Pruitt’s nomination will successfully pass the confirmation process, the potential for an EPA Administrator who would be inclined to work with America’s job creators on a more sensible regulatory environment is welcome news for small business owners.

Additional Reading

The Washington Examiner also reports on Pruitt’s comments during the Senate hearing.

Note: this article is intended to keep small business owners up on the latest news. It does not necessarily represent the policy stances of NFIB.

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