A Washington, D.C.-based environmental group is worried President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency could lead to more public health crises like the Flint water scandal.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s states’ rights advocacy and criticism of federal “overreach” could make it more difficult to prevent future environmental disasters, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) said about Trump’s nominee to lead the agency.
“The key question is whether we can expect more public health crises such as occurred in Flint, Michigan, under a Pruitt-led EPA,” Jeff Ruch, the group’s executive director, said Tuesday in a press statement.
He added: “Before confirming him as EPA Administrator, the Senate must determine specifically what Mr. Pruitt will do to make America’s air and water cleaner.”
Ruch was referring to Michigan officials’ decision in 2014 to save money by switching the small Eastern Michigan city’s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The state applied the wrong regulations and standards for governing drinking water, which ultimately resulted in corroded pipes.
Gov. Rick Snyder eventually sanctioned a report to determine which agency was responsible for the lapse in procedure. Thirteen Michigan officials have been arrested and are facing criminal charges for their role in the scandal.
One report published in March slammed the EPA, claiming the agency only acts to enforce clean drinking water regulations when public outrage reaches a deafening pitch.
Another report conducted in February 2016 by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report detailing how the EPA failed to force state regulators to comply with federal drinking water laws
The reports came after EPA head Gina McCarthy blamed state regulators who prescribed the wrong chemical treatments to keep corrosive river water from tainting lead pipes.
Her claims were called into question after media reports showed EPA officials responsible for overseeing drinking water quality knew about the lead problems in Flint since at least April 2015. McCarthy’s agency didn’t punish Michigan regulators until January 2016.
PEER wants Pruitt to affirm that civil and criminal enforcement of air, water, and other pollution laws will be prioritized by the agency under his stewardship.
“If Mr. Pruitt thinks that vigorous enforcement of clean air or water laws by EPA is overreach, then the American public is in deep trouble,” Ruch said. He said the only way to determine the Oklahoma Republican’s intentions is to demand the Senate ask questions about Pruitt’s views on anti-pollution laws.
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