Scott Pruitt will have to wait and learn how his leadership and actions as the new Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency are received by the thousands of EPA employees.
He addressed them for the first time on Tuesday and environmentalists suggested he attempted to offer them an ‘olive branch.’
As E and E reported, some of the employees left the meeting with a certain air of acceptance. One said he would give Pruitt a chance. Another called the speech “kind of vanilla” added that it made sense for Pruitt to emphasize a need to stick to the law. “Let’s hope we stick to that,” he added.
Still another saw some potential to working with Pruitt.
“He thinks that you can still save the environment yet have economic growth, which sounds good. I think he’s a personable guy. I kind of like him. I look forward to working with him.”
Jeff Holmstead, a former assistant administrator at EPA under George W. Bush, said Pruitt “certainly understands he’s coming in with some controversy.”
“I think this is the first step of his effort to reach out and make sure people understand who he is and know he’s open to addressing their concerns,” Holmstead said, adding Pruitt “didn’t pull any punches” or make promises that he couldn’t keep about EPA’s budget, which the president and Congress will ultimately decide. Many agency staffers will be waiting to see the budget, Holmstead said.