Former Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment J.D. Strong said it before a U.S. Senate Committee and continues to say it. He thinks Attorney General Scott Pruitt is the right man to take over the Environmental Protection Agency.
Now the head of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Department, Strong was interviewed by WNYC, a pair of non-profit noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City.
When asked how Pruitt manages to balance the influence of the oil and gas industry over the environment in Oklahoma, Strong replied, “Well, I think lesser people probably couldn’t handle the need to keep things in proper balance. But Scott Pruitt, from what I’ve seen, is not one of those people.”
Strong has worked for the past six years with Attorney General Pruitt.
“I’ve never once been asked to compromise our environmental integrity, our environmental regulations, anything, for the benefit of the oil and gas industry or any other industry in the state of Oklahoma.”
Strong contends Pruitt is a believer that environmental protection and economic development are not mutually exclusive.
“They can work hand in hand. And so, I think you have to have somebody that knows how to strike that proper balance.”
Listen to part of the interview.