What Americans Need to Hear from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt

The Clean Air Task Force challenges EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, the suspension of methane New Source Performance Standards for the oil and gas industry, and the rollback of air toxics policies, arguing these actions contradict the EPA's mandate to protect public health and rely on scientific evidence.

• The author questions the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, noting that the Trump administration itself acknowledged the plan could prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths annually by 2030.
• The document argues that the EPA has a legal obligation under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, upheld by the US Supreme Court, to regulate greenhouse gases from power plants.
• The author criticizes the proposed two-year stay of the methane New Source Performance Standards for the oil and gas industry, stating that oil and gas activities emit at least 8.1 million metric tons of methane annually and that emissions could be cut by 40 percent for a production cost increase of only one penny per thousand cubic feet.
• The document highlights a lack of updated reporting on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), noting that the only report produced (in 2011) detailed environmental damage to air, water, and soil.
• The author points to a rollback of a 23-year-old policy protecting the public from industrial air toxics—including benzene, arsenic, mercury, and acid gases—announced by Deputy Administrator William Wehrum without public notice or comment.

APA

Cohen, A. (2018). What Americans Need to Hear from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2018/01/epa-administrator-scott-pruitt/

Chicago

Cohen, Armond. What Americans Need to Hear from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Clean Air Task Force, 2018. https://www.catf.us/2018/01/epa-administrator-scott-pruitt/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Cohen |first1=Armond |title=What Americans Need to Hear from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=30 January 2018 |url=https://www.catf.us/2018/01/epa-administrator-scott-pruitt/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cohen2018what, author = {Cohen, Armond}, title = {{What Americans Need to Hear from EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://www.catf.us/2018/01/epa-administrator-scott-pruitt/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }