CNN continued to stoke fear of President-Elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on The Lead Thursday. “’At the risk of being dramatic. Scott Pruitt is an existential threat to the planet.’ That's quite a charge,” host Jake Tapper said, as he read a tweet from Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to President Barack Obama. He was speaking to reporter Rene Marsh who brushed way Republican grievances with the agency before giving a report smearing Pruitt.
“Today we take a look at Trump’s EPA pick and what it means for the air you breathe and the water you drink,” she stated as her report began to play, “Scott Pruitt's stance is clear, the EPA is guilty of over reach.” Seemingly trying to discredit his nomination, she called him a climate change denier and warned “He launched multiple legal battles against the Obama administration's key climate change laws attempting to essentially dismantle the very agency he will now lead.”
Marsh never discussed what the reason behind his lawsuits was, only saying he was for deregulation on energy and pollution. But Marsh was quick to paint him as a puppet of industry, “In 2014 his campaign committee received more than $700,000 in contributions, more than 17 percent [roughly $119,000] of that came from the energy industry.”
“Trump says his administration values clean air and water, but his EPA pick sued the agency 12 times,” she argued, as if the correlation meant some kind of hypocrisy. “Challenging [the EPA’s] Clean Power Plan which seeks to curb carbon emissions from power plants,” she continued, failing to mention that Congress did not charge the EPA in constructing such a plan, or that Pruitt had join with other states to oppose the agency’s coercive initiative.
The CNN reporter didn’t mention that the Clean Power Plan is responsible for many people losing their livelihoods. As plants were forced to shut down those workers, and the coal miners who suppled the fuel, lost their jobs. All while the cost of electricity skyrocketed for consumers. It also went unreported that Pruitt cares about the EPA’s abuse of Clean Water Act, which has been used to put people in jail for move dirt around on their property and for destroying wetlands (A.K.A removing thousands of discarded tires).
Wrapping up her segment Marsh quipped, “This goes beyond the environment. The philosophy of fewer environmental regulations really speaks to President-Elect Trump's larger goal of economic growth.” Tapper responded, “Of course, a lot of concern about the air we breathe and the water we drink.” But not too much concern for abuses by the federal government it seems.
Transcript below:
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CNN
The Lead
December 8, 2016
4:16:33 PM EasternJAKE TAPPER: Just this week President-Elect Trump sat down with both Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio to discuss climate change. This while also announcing that he will nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to engineer climate change policy as head of the EPA. Pruitt not exactly one who tends to listen to the likes of Gore or DiCaprio or the overwhelming majority of climate scientists. CNN’s Rene Marsh has been putting together a dossier on Pruitt for us. And Rene, Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to President Obama tweeted ever after the announcement of Pruitt, saying quote, “At the risk of being dramatic. Scott Pruitt is an existential threat to the planet.” That's quite a charge.
RENE MARSH: To say the least he has been a lightning rod pick. I mean, we have seen passion on both sides of this. You have the Republicans who looked at the EPA as a wasteful agency that over regulates. They say that Pruitt will cut wasteful spending and useless laws. On the other side, you have environments who called Pruitt dangerous, both to Americans’ health and the environment. Today we take a look at Trump’s EPA pick and what it means for the air you breathe and the water you drink.
[Cuts to video]
Scott Pruitt's stance is clear, the EPA is guilty of over reach.
SCOTT PRUITT: We have an EPA, we have a federal government that is actively involved in picking winners and losers and using regulatory power to penalize fossil fuels –
MARSH: As attorney general of Oklahoma, the biggest oil and natural gas producing state in the nation, he launched multiple legal battles against the Obama administration's key climate change laws attempting to essentially dismantle the very agency he will now lead.
DONALD TRUMP: Department of Environmental Protection, we are going to get rid of it in almost every form. We'll have little tidbits left.
MARSH: Team Trump says Pruitt, quote, “brings a deep understanding of the impact of regulations on both the environment and the economy.”
NICK LORIS: Attorney general Pruitt has been a leader in fighting again excessive regulations from the EPA that have driven up costs for American families and businesses, and have been devoid of any real meaningful environmental benefit.
UNIDENTIFIED HOST: Tell us, under a Trump administration, what are you looking forward to?
PRUITT: Regally roll back. Washington has become way too consequential in the lives of citizens across the country. They’ve been dictating to the states, dictating to business, dictating to industry. Sometimes outside of the constitutions.
MARSH: The easiest and fastest action Pruitt can take on day one, without help from Congress, is simply not enforce the laws on the books. Trump says his administration values clean air and water, but his EPA pick sued the agency 12 times. Challenging its Clean Power Plan which seeks to curb carbon emissions from power plants. He has also sued the EPA for trying to curb methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
FRED KRUPP: He has taken lawsuits to eliminate the regulations on soot in the air. He's taken lawsuits that would allow more Mercury to be put out by coal fire power plants.
MARSH: He’s a strong supporter of the energy industry and they support him too. In 2014 his campaign committee received more than $700,000 in contributions, more than 17 percent [roughly $119,000] of that came from the energy industry. A 2014 New York Times investigation found he collaborated secretly with the energy industry, sending letters lobbyists wrote for him to the U.S. government attacking the EPA.
[Cuts back to live]
While Democrats don't have the power, obviously to block, but lawmakers CNN spoke to say the game plan is to essentially reach across the aisle to have discussions about what's at stake here. But really the big picture for the Trump administration. This goes beyond the environment. The philosophy of fewer environmental regulations really speaks to President-Elect Trump's larger goal of economic growth. Of course, Jake, the thinking is, if you get rid of the regulation, then that allows businesses to flourish.
TAPPER: Of course, a lot of concern about the air we breathe and the water we drink.
