Rounds Statement on Meeting With Scott Pruitt
Oklahoma Attorney General Nominated as EPA Administrator
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today made the following statement following his meeting with Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who President-elect Trump announced he will nominate to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“I thank Mr. Pruitt for taking the time to meet with me today to discuss our shared goals of reining in an overly-expansive EPA,” said Rounds. “During our meeting, Mr. Pruitt and I discussed our frustrations with the current administration’s regulatory process, which too often fails to take state and local concerns into consideration when making decisions, skews facts to support its own agenda and circumvents Congress to enact burdensome regulations on the American people. These misguided practices have hurt our ag community the most, forcing our farmers and ranchers to waste time on unnecessary paperwork rather than spending time caring for their land, livestock and crops. As South Dakota’s number one industry, I look forward to working with Mr. Pruitt to restore the ag community’s faith in the EPA and make certain the agency is working with them to protect both our natural resources and their ability to feed a growing population.”
Rounds is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the EPA and will hold Pruitt’s confirmation hearing. Last month, Rounds wrote to Attorney General Pruitt to outline his findings and concerns about the current administration’s regulatory process. Full text of the letter can be found HERE.
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