Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has the support of Virginia Congressman Morgan Griffith who says the man nominated by Donald Trump to head the Environmental Protection Agency will be good for the environment and coal.
Writing an op-ed piece recently in the Roanoke Times, the Republican U.S. Representative from the 9th Congressional District in Virginia called Pruitt’s nomination “welcome news.”
While he said many are shocked over the nomination, ‘I wish those stunned by this appointment would listen to or read the testimony I have heard from EPA officials in Energy and Commerce Committee hearings. What I find stunning is the logic offered by agency officials to justify actions at odds with the plain text of laws passed by Congress.”
Rep. Griffith is joined on the Energy and Commerce Committee by Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin.
In his editorial, Rep. Griffith cited the Clean Power Plan as an example of bad rules by the EPA, calling it bad for coal miners and all consumers of electricity and bad for the rule of law.
“When the federal government’s lawyers improperly sign off on ridiculous arguments, Scott Pruitt and other state attorneys general have a duty to stand up for the powers the Constitution reserves to the states, just as congressmen have the duty to stand up for the powers delegated to the legislative branch,” wrote Griffith. “As EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt’s first task should be to clean house in the EPA’s Office of General Counsel, which provides legal advice to the agency.
Griffith argued the EPA must recognize it should carry out the laws passed by Congress and not rewrite them or create new ones.
“Scott Pruitt has shown that he understands the proper role of the EPA. He is an excellent choice to lead the EPA and I urge the Senate to confirm him promptly,” said Rep. Griffith.
