EPA: The "P" Used To Stand For "Protection"

Now it looks like it'll stand for "pillaging."

Scott Pruit is the new director of the EPA.  He's a ringer for the oil and gas industry who's been a career-long opponent of the agency he now leads.  It's hard to imagine a worse choice.

Pruitt has sued the EPA many times and calls it an "activist" agency.  He prefers the inactive approach, which means the federal government takes a nap, because . . . states rights!  In his view, the states have the right to shit where they live, and pollution magically stops at the state line.  West Virginia can pump CO2 into the atmoshpere and dump coal sludge in the rivers, and all that poison just comes to a screeching halt at the border.

What an idiot!

America is an ugly country right now and things look bleak.  Many years of progress are being rolled back -- it's hard to watch, knowing that not much that can be done to stop it for now.  But keep the faith.  Each state has its own EPA and it's possible that some sensible states will retain environmental regulations superior to and more effective than what Pruitt plans at the federal level.  But it's more likely that many states will happily abuse the new lax rules and exploit the land, air and water in the name of making a buck.

As hard as it is to see progress being reversed, remember that our turn will come again and we'll have our chance to move forward and restore some sanity to our society.  I hope we get the chance before it's too late.

#Resist
#FourYearsofFight