CABINET/EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: "Democrats and conservation groups are laying the groundwork to battle President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of a staunch oil industry ally and chief foe of the Obama administration’s climate agenda to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.
The nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is 'a full-fledged environmental emergency,' said Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, who pledged to make the issue a litmus test for every senator who has said they do not deny the science of climate change. 'This is a four-alarm fire, and we are going to do everything we can to stop his nomination.'
The nomination of Pruitt, who has sued the EPA to overturn some of President Barack Obama’s signature initiatives, is a major victory for oil, gas and coal companies that have complained about a heavy hand at the agency. Pruitt relishes his role as its chief antagonist; an official biography on the 48-year-old Republican’s website proclaims him 'a leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda.' "
– “Trump Pick of EPA Foe to Lead Agency May Spark Senate Fight,” Bloomberg Magazine, Dec. 7, 2016, Jennifer A Dlouhy and Catherine Traywick, 12/7/2016