Trump Taps Scott Pruitt, Oklahoma AG and Top Obama Foe, to Head EPA

It looks like the Environmental Protection Agency’s rush to cement fuel economy targets before Inauguration Day wasn’t due to paranoia.

According to the New York Times, President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to head the EPA. Pruitt, 48, is a top opponent of the Obama administration’s environmental regulations and climate change policy, going so far as to organize legal action against the federal government.

Pruitt’s nod is bad news for environmentalists, and good news for industry. Automakers could soon find themselves less burdened by green tape.

With oil and gas extraction being a major economic driver in Oklahoma, Pruitt’s legal efforts sought to keep the investment flowing. Backed by energy firms, he targeted the EPA, claiming the agency overestimated greenhouse gas emissions from energy companies.

Along with 27 other states, numerous companies, and industry groups, Pruitt filed a lawsuit against the federal government’s climate change policies, citing predicted impact to industry and utilities. That case awaits a decision in federal court. Trump touted the coal industry and criticized Obama’s environmental initiatives during the election campaign, making Pruitt’s nomination less than surprising.

With an unabashed oil and gas proponent soon in charge of the EPA, it’s hard to imagine that sweeping regulatory changes aren’t on the way. Some could be the answer to the auto industry’s prayers.

For automakers, one nagging policy stands above all else: corporate average fuel economy (CAFE), and the target of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 set four years ago. Reaching the target means greater spending on fuel-saving technology. Even though industry groups and automakers complained that the target is too high, the EPA recently gave it a tentative thumbs-up in its midterm review. (This, despite its own estimates that automakers would fall short.)

Most automakers would prefer lower fuel economy targets, or the elimination of CAFE altogether. Ford CEO Mark Fields has promised to lobby the Trump administration for lower state and federal targets.

After hearing the news, Mitch Bainwol, CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, hailed Pruitt’s appointment. Bainwol stated the alliance wants to see the midterm fuel economy review completed “thoroughly,” with attention to “achieving a balanced outcome.”

With Republicans controlling the agenda in the executive office, Congress, and Senate for the next few years to come, Fields and the Auto Alliance could easily get their way.

[Image: Gage Skidmore/ Flickr ( CC BY-SA 2.0)]