Scott Pruitt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scott Pruitt
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017
|
|
| 14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | |
| In office February 17, 2017 – July 9, 2018 |
|
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Andrew Wheeler |
| Preceded by | Gina McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Wheeler |
| 17th Attorney General of Oklahoma | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – February 17, 2017 |
|
| Governor | Mary Fallin |
| Preceded by | Drew Edmondson |
| Succeeded by | Michael J. Hunter |
| Member of the Oklahoma Senate | |
| In office January 5, 1999 – January 2, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Gerald Wright |
| Succeeded by | Bill Brown |
| Constituency | 54th district (1999–2003) 36th district (2003–2007) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edward Scott Pruitt
May 9, 1968 Danville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Marlyn Pruitt
(m. 1990) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education |
|
Edward Scott Pruitt (born May 9, 1968) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Oklahoma. He was the 14th head, or Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), from February 2017 to July 2018. The EPA is the part of the U.S. government that works to protect the environment and people's health.
Pruitt resigned from the EPA while facing at least 14 government investigations into his actions. He also does not agree with the widely accepted scientific view that human activity is the main cause of climate change.
Before leading the EPA, Pruitt was a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1998 to 2006. In 2010, he was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma. As attorney general, he often challenged government rules, especially those from the EPA. He sued the EPA 14 times. He described himself as "a leading advocate against the EPA's activist agenda."
In April 2022, Pruitt ran for the United States Senate to represent Oklahoma but lost in the Republican primary election.
Contents
Early life and career
Scott Pruitt was born in Danville, Kentucky, in 1968. He was a good athlete in high school and earned a baseball scholarship to the University of Kentucky. He later transferred to Georgetown College and graduated in 1990. After college, he went to law school at the University of Tulsa.
After law school, Pruitt worked as a lawyer for five years. In 1998, he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate, where he served for eight years. During his time as a state senator, he also became a part-owner of a minor league baseball team, the Oklahoma City RedHawks. He later sold his share of the team.
Oklahoma Attorney General
In 2010, Pruitt was elected as the Attorney General of Oklahoma, the state's top lawyer. He was re-elected in 2014 without anyone running against him.
As attorney general, Pruitt closed the Environmental Protection Unit in his office. He said that protecting the environment was the job of a different state agency. Instead, he created a new unit to challenge the federal government on issues like healthcare and environmental rules.
Pruitt often worked with energy companies. He sued the EPA many times to try to block rules aimed at reducing pollution from power plants and protecting clean water. He received large campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry.
Head of the Environmental Protection Agency
In December 2016, President-elect Donald Trump chose Pruitt to lead the EPA. Trump said he wanted Pruitt to change the agency's direction. Many environmental groups and scientists were worried about this choice. They pointed out that Pruitt had often sued the very agency he was now going to lead.
The United States Senate approved his nomination in February 2017.
Changes at the EPA
As the head of the EPA, Pruitt worked to undo many of the environmental policies from the previous administration. He started the process of canceling the Clean Power Plan, a rule designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. He also worked to cancel the Clean Water Rule, which protected smaller streams and wetlands.
Pruitt also changed how the EPA used science. He removed many scientists from the agency's advisory boards. He then passed a rule that said scientists who received EPA grants could not serve on these boards. This led to hundreds of staff members, including many scientists, leaving the agency.
Views on climate change
Pruitt has said he does not believe that carbon dioxide from human activities is a main cause of global warming. This view goes against the consensus of most climate scientists around the world. In a 2017 interview, he said, "I would not agree that it's a primary contributor to the global warming that we see."
The EPA's own website stated that carbon dioxide was the primary greenhouse gas causing recent climate change. Shortly after Pruitt's comments, the EPA's website was updated, and pages with climate change information were removed.
Controversies and resignation
During his time at the EPA, Pruitt faced many questions about his spending and management. These issues led to at least 14 separate federal investigations.
Spending and travel
Pruitt was criticized for his use of taxpayer money. He often flew first-class and used expensive charter and military planes for travel. This was unusual for an EPA administrator, as previous leaders usually flew in economy class. Pruitt said the expensive travel was for security reasons.
He also spent over $43,000 on a private, soundproof phone booth for his office. The Government Accountability Office later said this purchase broke federal spending laws. Pruitt also had a 24-hour security detail that was much larger and more expensive than those of past administrators.
Housing and ethics questions
It was reported that Pruitt rented a room in Washington, D.C., for only $50 a night from a lobbyist. A lobbyist is someone whose job is to influence government officials. The lobbyist's firm represented clients who had business with the EPA. This raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
Pruitt also used a special rule to give large pay raises to two of his top aides after the White House had rejected the raises.
Resignation
Because of these and other controversies, many politicians from both parties called for Pruitt to resign. On July 5, 2018, Pruitt announced he was resigning from the EPA. He said the constant criticism made it difficult for him to do his job. His deputy, Andrew R. Wheeler, took over as the acting head of the agency.
Later career
After leaving the EPA, Pruitt started an energy consulting business. In 2019, he registered as a lobbyist in Indiana for a coal company.
In April 2022, Pruitt ran for an open U.S. Senate seat in Oklahoma. He finished fifth in the Republican primary election and did not advance to the next round.
Personal life
Pruitt married his wife, Marlyn, in 1990. They have two children, a daughter named McKenna and a son named Cade. Pruitt is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Images for kids
-
Pruitt at the CPAC in February 2017
-
A sign at a rally to oppose Pruitt's nomination to the EPA
-
A sign at a protest rally in New York City, 2017
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Scott Pruitt para niños
