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| Administrator Scott Pruitt | |
|---|---|
| Name | Scott Pruitt |
| Office | Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Term start | February 17, 2017 |
| Term end | July 6, 2018 |
| Predecessor | Gina McCarthy |
| Successor | Andrew Wheeler (administrator) |
| Birth name | Edward Scott Pruitt |
| Birth date | May 9, 1968 |
| Birth place | Sheridan, Arkansas |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Marjorie Pruitt |
| Alma mater | University of Tulsa; Oklahoma State University |
Administrator Scott Pruitt was the 14th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency during the Donald Trump administration, serving from February 2017 to July 2018. A former Oklahoma Attorney General and Republican state legislator, he became known for regulatory rollback efforts, legal challenges to federal environmental rules, and multiple ethics controversies that culminated in his resignation. His tenure influenced United States environmental policy debates, litigation over the Clean Power Plan, and executive-branch norms.
Born in Sheridan, Arkansas and raised in Here, Pruitt attended Edmond Memorial High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tulsa College of Law, where he participated in legal clinics and student organizations. His formative years intersected with regional issues such as Oklahoma oil boom, agricultural policy debates, and local Republican National Committee activism, which shaped his network among figures like Tom Coburn and James Lankford.
Pruitt practiced law at private firms in Tulsa, Oklahoma and engaged in litigation involving energy law, constitutional law, and administrative challenges to federal agencies. He served as a member of the Oklahoma State Senate and later in appointed roles including counsel to Governor Frank Keating and general counsel to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. His legal strategy emphasized the use of federal courts, often coordinating with conservative groups such as the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Heritage Foundation, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute to challenge regulatory actions by agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Interior.
Elected Attorney General of Oklahoma in 2010, Pruitt pursued litigation against federal regulations, joining multi-state suits targeting the Clean Air Act, the Clean Power Plan, the Endangered Species Act, and actions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He formed alliances with attorneys general including Ken Cuccinelli, Eric Holder (in past cross-party contexts), and Gurbir Grewal on select issues, while opposing administrations of Barack Obama and coordinating with industry groups like the American Petroleum Institute and Chamber of Commerce. He argued cases before federal appellate courts and helped shape legal doctrines about major questions doctrine litigations.
Nominated by President Donald Trump in December 2016, Pruitt's confirmation process involved hearings before the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and full Senate consideration. Nomination debates referenced his record opposing the Clean Power Plan, relationships with energy firms, and prior work with conservative litigators like Seema Nanda and organizations such as the Federalist Society. After contentious hearings that drew questions from senators including Tom Carper, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Bernie Sanders, Pruitt was confirmed by a Senate vote that reflected divisions between Republicans and Democrats.
As head of the EPA, Pruitt prioritized deregulatory actions, proposing rollbacks of the Clean Power Plan, revisions to Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and reinterpretations of Waters of the United States rules developed under Obama administration officials like Gina McCarthy. He appointed administrators and deputies with backgrounds linked to Chevron Corporation, ExxonMobil, and state environmental agencies, and coordinated policy with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Energy Secretary Rick Perry. He emphasized litigation strategies, directing EPA to defend state and industry positions in cases before the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Pruitt's tenure was marked by ethics questions and investigations by bodies including the Office of Inspector General of the EPA and inquiries by the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Allegations included spending on first-class travel, office renovations involving companies linked to associates, a potentially improper security detail with ties to Marlon Humphrey-style controversies, a condo rental arrangement with a lobbyist associated with Chesapeake Energy and Devon Energy, and potential misuse of staff for personal tasks. Media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, and Bloomberg reported extensively, while conservative outlets like Fox News and National Review offered varying coverage. Ethics probes referenced statutes like the Ethics in Government Act and prompted congressional document requests through Senate Judiciary Committee channels.
Facing mounting bipartisan calls for removal from Senate Republicans including voices like Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, and escalating OIG reports, Pruitt resigned in July 2018 and was succeeded by Andrew Wheeler (administrator). Post-resignation, he returned to private networks connected to energy sector actors, conservative advocacy groups, and media appearances on outlets such as Fox Business and CNBC. Subsequent developments included ongoing debates over regulatory policy, legislative proposals in Congress by members like Raúl Grijalva and Carolyn Maloney to strengthen ethics rules, and continuing litigation over environmental regulations in which his administration's actions remained contested before courts including the Supreme Court of the United States.
Category:Administrators of the United States Environmental Protection Agency Category:Oklahoma Attorneys General Category:Trump administration cabinet members