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Scott Pruitt

Edward Scott Pruitt (born May 9, 1968) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma. Scott was the 14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from February 17, 2017 until his resignation on July 6, 2018. He was the Oklahoma Attorney General serving from 2011 through 2017. Pruitt was a State Senator, representing Tulsa and Wagoner counties from 1998 until 2006.

Scott Pruitt
Scott Pruitt, EPA official portrait (cropped).jpg
14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
In office
February 17, 2017 – July 6, 2018
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byGina McCarthy
Succeeded byAndrew R. Wheeler
17th Attorney General of Oklahoma
In office
January 10, 2011 – February 17, 2017
GovernorMary Fallin
Preceded byDrew Edmondson
Succeeded byMichael J. Hunter
Personal details
Born
Edward Scott Pruitt[1]

(1968-05-09) May 9, 1968 (age 56)
Danville, Kentucky, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Marlyn Pruitt (m. 1992)
Alma materGeorgetown College (BA)
University of Tulsa (JD)

On December 7, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump selected Pruitt to be his nominee as the next Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.[2] On February 17, 2017, the Senate confirmed Pruitt's nomination, by a vote of 52-46. While critics, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, described him as a climate change denier,[3][4] he believes that the climate is changing and human activity is responsible to climate change.[5]

Pruitt ran for the United States Senate in the 2022 special election to replace Senator Jim Inhofe.[6]

Early life

Pruitt was born in 1968 in Danville, Kentucky, but moved to Lexington, Kentucky when he was young. He studied at Georgetown College earning his Bachelor of Arts degree and at the University of Tulsa earning his Juris Doctor degree.

Early political career

Pruitt represented Tulsa and Wagoner Counties in the Oklahoma Senate from 1998 until 2006. In 2006, Pruitt launched an unsuccessful campaign to receive the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma.

Attorney General of Oklahoma (2011–2017)

In 2010 Pruitt was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma. In that role, he supported religious freedom laws and fought against abortion rights, same-sex marriage, the Affordable Care Act, and environmental regulations as a self-described "leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda".[7]

On September 9, 2014, in Pruitt v. Burwell, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma ruled against the IRS.[8]

On December 7, 2014, The New York Times published a front-page story highlighting that Pruitt had used his office's stationery to send form letters written by energy industry lobbyists to federal agencies during public comment.[9]

In April 2015, Pruitt wrote a letter to school superintendents stating that schools can lawfully allow the dissemination of religious literature on campus.[10]

In May 2016, Attorneys General Pruitt and Luther Strange authored an op-ed in the National Review criticizing other state attorneys general for "acting like George III" regarding the ExxonMobil climate change controversy, writing "global warming has inspired one of the major policy debates of our time. That debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind."[11]

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2017 – 2018)

On December 7, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced his plans to nominate Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.[2] The nomination was reviewed during hearings held by the members of the Environment and Public Works Committee.[12] He then passed to the full Senate for a vote. On February 17, 2017, the United States senate confirmed his nomination with a 52-46 vote. He was sworn-in the next day by Vice President Mike Pence.

During his tenure, Pruitt was accused of corruption for misusing the EPA's money for his personal gain.[13][14] Many Senators and other politicians called for Pruitt's resignation.[15]

Under fire since his appointment, Pruitt resigned on July 5, 2018, leaving Andrew R. Wheeler as the acting head of the agency.[16]

2022 U.S. Senate election

In April 2022, Pruitt announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in the special election to replace retiring Senator Jim Inhofe.[6] He lost the Republican nomination in the first round of voting in June 2022.

Personal life

Pruitt married Marlyn Pruitt in 1992. They have two children.[17]

Scott Pruitt Media

  • Pruitt at the CPAC in February 2017

  • Stop Pruitt sign, at a rally to oppose his nomination

  • Resist Trump Rally, NYC, 2017

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2010/11/Catalog_directory_Aug2013.pdf
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Trump to tap Oklahoma attorney general to lead EPA: transition team". Reuters. December 7, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Outsiders Selected by Trump Aim to Unnerve Washington". The New York Times. December 17, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Trump Picks Scott Pruitt, Climate Change Denialist, to Lead E.P.A." The New York Times. December 7, 2016.
  5. ↑ Mooney, Chris; Erickson, Andee (January 18, 2017). Bernie Sanders to Scott Pruitt: Why is the climate changing?. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/18/bernie-sanders-to-scott-pruitt-why-is-the-climate-changing/?. Retrieved January 20, 2017. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Ex-EPA head Scott Pruitt to run for US Senate in Oklahoma". Seattle Times. 15 April 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Brief biography of Attorney General Scott Pruitt". Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General E. Scott Pruitt. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  8. ↑ McIntyre, Adrianna (October 1, 2014). "High court declines to review Oklahoma case against Affordable Care Act". Vox. Vox Media.
  9. ↑ Eric Lipton (7 December 2014). "Energy Firms in Secretive Alliance With Attorneys General". The New York Times: A1. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/us/politics/energy-firms-in-secretive-alliance-with-attorneys-general.html. Retrieved 9 December 2016. 
  10. ↑ Eger, Andrea (April 15, 2015). Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt defends Bible distribution in schools, says 'religious freedoms are under attack'. http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/education/oklahoma-attorney-general-scott-pruitt-defends-bible-distribution-in-schools/article_592d20aa-2c46-51f6-a3fb-f11480542217.html. Retrieved April 18, 2015. 
  11. ↑ The Climate-Change Gang. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/435470/climate-change-attorneys-general. Retrieved 8 December 2016. 
  12. ↑ Bernstein, Lenny (May 16, 2013). Senate committee approves Obama's nomination of Gina McCarthy to head EPA. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/senate-committee-approves-nomination-of-gina-mccarthy-to-head-epa/2013/05/16/fbebc06c-be52-11e2-9b09-1638acc3942e_story.html?utm_term=.2342a5101bb5. Retrieved December 7, 2016. 
  13. ↑ Cassella, Carly (3 April 2018). "Now, Even Some Republicans Want Scott Pruitt Booted From The EPA". Science Alert. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  14. ↑ Cama, Timothy (5 April 2018). "GOP lawmaker calls on Pruitt to resign". The Hill. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  15. ↑ Stephanie Ebbs (2018-04-03). "EPA Chief Scott Pruitt facing more calls to investigate housing arrangement". ABC News. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  16. ↑ Scott Pruitt resigns as EPA head, Boston Globe, July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  17. ↑ VERONICA STRACQUALURSI (December 8, 2016). Everything You Need to Know About Donald Trump's Pick to Head EPA, Scott Pruitt. ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trumps-pick-head-epa-scott-pruitt/story?id=44046481. 

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