Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Paul A. Gosar D.D.S. (AZ-04), House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (TX-21), House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Chairman Ken Calvert (CA-42), and Western Caucus Members Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), and Markwanye Mullin (OK-02) issued the following statements in support of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt:

Congressman Gosar stated, “EPA Administrator Pruitt has proven himself one of the most effective Cabinet Members in the Trump Administration. His track record on energy, the environment, deregulation, the rule of law and science-based decision-making is exceptional. Because he is an important part of the ‘Make America Great Again’ agenda, it should come as no surprise that a lynch mob of opportunistic politicians and certain members of the media are doing everything they can to attempt to remove him from office. The job of a successful agency head should not be called into question due solely to allegations from political opponents when important underlying facts remain unknown. I stand with EPA Administrator Pruitt and am grateful for everything he has done for the American people to get our economy going again.”

“Administrator Pruitt has served America exceptionally well during his first year in office. He has implemented President Trump’s America First policies, rolled back burdensome and unnecessary regulations, increased the independence of agency advisory boards, and is working toward making the agency’s rulemaking process more open to the American people," said Congressman Smith. “Scott Pruitt has returned the EPA’s focus to its rightful place – on ensuring clean air and water for all Americans through policies that are based on good science, not science fiction. I thank him for his work thus far, and I anticipate many more achievements from the EPA with Administrator Pruitt at the helm.”

“Keeping our air and water clean with balanced and careful policies is a challenging task. I know EPA Administrator Pruitt and the Administration are working every day to achieve these important goals,” stated Congressman Calvert.

“It’s no surprise that many Democrats and left-leaning members of the media would like to see EPA Administrator Pruitt gone - that’s because he’s good at his job. His commitment to slashing unnecessary regulations and cleaning up the agency while simultaneously boasting a strong track record on energy and the environment is impressive, and it has made him one of the most effective members of the President’s cabinet. The allegations against Administrator Pruitt leave a lot of questions unanswered, and it should not cost him his job - especially when far more serious allegations against former administrators were largely brushed aside. I stand with many of my colleagues in support of Administrator Pruitt,” said Congressman LaMalfa.

Congressman Gohmert said, “Scott Pruitt is one of President Trump's most effective cabinet members. He has been uniquely effective in rolling back onerous regulations that are strangling our American economy and dramatically killing jobs.  We all want and are getting cleaner air and water, but when red tape kills jobs and puts Americans in poverty for no discernible difference, we need Scott Pruitt. Not only has he blessed our economy and jobs in general, minorities' unemployment is at an all time historical low. It is no wonder the left is attempting to take him out, because he is doing far too much to help Americans in a Republican administration.”

“As the head of the EPA, Administrator Pruitt is responsible for rolling back dozens of job-killing regulations put in place over the 8 years of the Obama Administration.  By returning the EPA to its rightful role, Administration Pruitt’s policies have significantly reduced regulatory costs for taxpayers and given farmers, ranchers, and small business owners a chance to thrive again.  I support EPA Administrator Pruitt and the good work he will continue to do to bring regulatory relief to all Americans,” concluded Congressman Mullin.

Background:

Today, Members of the Western Caucus issued statements in support of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, rejecting calls from opportunistic politicians and some members of the media for President Trump to remove the Administrator from office.

Scott Pruitt is the 14^th Administrator of the EPA. During his short tenure, EPA Administrator Pruitt has established a strong track record on energy, environment, deregulation, the rule of law and science-based decision-making. He has also taken significant steps to clean up lawlessness and dysfunction within the agency. 

The EPA’s 2017-2018 Year in Review can be found HERE. Highlights of the report include:

• In his first year, Pruitt finalized 22 deregulatory actions saving job creators and hard-working Americans more than $1 billion in regulations costs.
• Administrator Pruitt also put an end to “sue and settle” practices within the EPA.
• Under Pruitt's leadership, the EPA also rejected the Obama Administration's new and unnecessary financial responsibility requirements for certain hardrock mining facilities.
• Pruitt also took numerous actions to benefit the environment  including: eliminating seven contaminated sites and taking significant actions to clean up contaminated lands, improve water quality and ensure polluters were held accountable.

The Western Caucus also reminded those calling for the removal of Pruitt of ten major scandals involving the EPA during the Obama Administration. In the midst of those transgressions - most of which represented far greater malfeasance than any of the accusations levelled against EPA Administrator Pruitt - these same politicians and outlets largely failed to call for Obama EPA Administrators Jackson and McCarthy to be removed.

1.  “Richard Windsor (of course): “The one, the only—Richard Windsor, a.k.a. Lisa Jackson. I mean, she corresponded exclusively in an alias. The only thing sketchier than that is what Hilary did.” Read more here.
   
   
2. “Text gate: Here’s what we know: EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy conducted business via text and then destroyed the records of her correspondence, in blatant contravention of federal recordkeeping laws.” Read more here and here.
   
   
3. John Beale: “John C. Beale masqueraded as a CIA agent to steal in total $900,000 in government pay, bonuses and expenses.”  “On April 30, 2013, [EPA Administrator Gina] McCarthy had cause to fire Beale, but instead elected to allow him to voluntarily retire with full benefits.” “A U.S. Senate investigation blasted McCarthy, [Beale’s] boss at the time at OAR, for not taking action for months after learning that Beale committed fraud.” Read more here and here.
   
   
4. EPA child molester: “A child-molesting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official who was paid $55,000 to retire is only one of many bad agency employees who skirted termination, according to a congressional committee. The Daily Caller had more detail on this situation, noting that this ‘convicted child molester — was on EPA’s payroll for years, even after EPA learned of his offense.’” Read more here.
   
   
5. Acting Associate Administrator Peter Jutro: “Mr. Jutro was the acting associate administrator for the EPA Office of Homeland Security, he also happens to be a serial sexual harasser. As a result of an inspector general investigation, we now know that Mr. Jutro sexually harassed at least 16 women while working at the EPA,” explained Chaffetz. “Even worse, EPA senior management was aware of his history of harassing women but continued to promote him.” Read more here.
   
   
6. WOTUS lobbying that broke the law: “The Environmental Protection Agency engaged in ‘covert propaganda’ and violated federal law when it blitzed social media to urge the public to back an Obama administration rule intended to better protect the nation’s streams and surface waters, congressional auditors have concluded. The ruling by the Government Accountability Office, which opened its investigation after a report on the agency’s practices in The New York Times, drew a bright line for federal agencies experimenting with social media about the perils of going too far to push a cause. Federal laws prohibit agencies from engaging in lobbying and propaganda.” Read more here.
   
   
7. WOTUS rule generally: According to a 182-page Committee Report, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy shoved a terrible rule down the throats of the American people that was “rife with legal shortcuts, predetermined conclusions, and politically-driven timelines.” Amongst other flaws the EPA, “pushed the rule through on an accelerated timeline that appeared to have been motivated by political considerations… made no effort to ensure the rule was based on sound science…pushed the rule through despite strong objections from senior Corps leadership…did not consider appropriate alternatives to the rule…did not fully consider public comments before finalizing the rule…failed to comply with various rulemaking obligations.” Read more here.
   
   
8. Flights of Obama EPA Administrators: “Lisa Jackson, EPA director from 2009 to 2013, racked up more than $332,000 on four overseas trips. Gina McCarthy, the chief in 2013-17, spent nearly $630,000 on flights and security in her 10 international travels. None of which made headlines, even on the web — though their yearly average bill was a bit above Pruitt’s one-year total. Maybe Pruitt should pass on the junkets and save the taxpayers some money, but he’s not costing them any more than the Democrats who held the same job.” Read more here.
   
   
9. “Ignoring the Flint Water Crisis: In April 2014, a state-appointed manager switched Flint’s drinking water source to save money. Residents of the impoverished town soon started to complain about the new water’s color and odor: Testing showed it contained high levels of lead and other poisons in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Although McCarthy’s EPA was first notified of the problem in April 2015, she did not declare a state of emergency until January 2016.” Read more here.
   
   
10. “Causing the Gold King Mine spill: In 2015, EPA workers destroyed a plug that was holding water at the abandoned Gold King Mine in Colorado. Despite knowing the risk of a blowout (and subsequently covering up the fact they had that knowledge), the work continued at the abandoned mine until a breach unleashed three million gallons of toxic waste into the Animas River, polluting a waterway serving three Western states. While McCarthy apologized for the disaster—calling it a “tragic and unfortunate incident”—her agency declined to accept full responsibility and attempted to deflect any scrutiny from Congress and the media.” Read more here.