President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently received accolades from an Oklahoma state agency director with a unique perspective.
Scott Thompson, the executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, weighed in on Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s nomination as the EPA’s chief administrator.
“DEQ has independently managed our state and federal regulatory programs, including enforcement cases, as well as our daily operations free of the worry we might face pressure or politicizing of our responsibilities by the Office of the Attorney General,” said Thompson. “We are fortunate to have experienced this situation as I am not sure my counterparts in other states have a similar relationship with their attorney general’s office.”
Defining their six-year relationship as productive, Thompson praised Pruitt and his staff’s agility with shifting gears on complex environmental matters stuck in litigation. Together, the DEQ and AG staffs worked toward finding solutions to resolve outstanding issues like the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers phosphorus pollution matter. In this instance, Pruitt’s insistence on using science as the determining factor in a legal dispute resulted in Arkansas’ acceptance of Oklahoma’s desired standard of phosphorus levels in our rivers.
“Pruitt was essential in negotiating an historic water rights settlement with Indian tribes in southeast Oklahoma that preserved the ecosystems of scenic lakes and rivers,” said Thompson. “This settlement, when Pruitt first arrived in office, seemed impossible due to conflict among the parties involved.”
Based upon Thompson’s professional experience in working with Pruitt, he believes the Republican nominee would be an adept leader capable of communicating with states and industry heads to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and streamline processes.
“I believe EPA will be in good hands with Scott Pruitt and his confirmation will ensure an environmental agency that once again is responsive and fair to the citizens it serves,” said Thompson.