Expect EPA chief Scott Pruitt's reckless spending to continue in 2018

In 2017, the Trump administration established dangerous new norms in environmental policy. For the coming year, it's become obvious what's "in" and what's "out."

Regarding EPA, and according to this White House, fossil fuel energy lobbyists are in, and federal scientists and engineers are out.

Permits for offshore oil and gas drilling and mineral extraction at our national monuments are in, and air pollution regulations and water contamination protocols are out. Scott Pruitt's climate denial and his refusal to release documents supporting his claims are in, while the federal “endangerment finding” that enabled President Obama’s climate actions including the Paris Agreement is out.

In just 10 months, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has devastated EPA by dismantling its science directives to protect public health and the environment. What will result from backing industry interests over defending public health for 300 million Americans? Only time will tell. Here is an inventory of the major investigations of Donald Trump’s EPA expected to come to fruition in 2018.

Administrator Scott Pruitt is one of several Trump cabinet members (including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price), who were caught taking expensive private planes for government business on the public’s dime.

EPA’s Inspector General Arthur Elkins, Jr. is now investigating Pruitt's travel through Sept. 30, 2017, considering the "frequency, cost, and extent" and whether travel policies were followed to prevent waste, fraud and abuse. Pruitt used private and military jet travel instead of commercial airlines for EPA work on four occasions at a cost of nearly $60,000. He traveled 48 of his first 92 days as administrator — 43 of those days included stops in his home state of Oklahoma.

The second investigation questions Pruitt advocating lobbying. At a meeting with the National Mining Association in April, he exhorted mining association members to tell Trump to withdraw from the Paris climate deal.

http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/366887-expect-epa-chief-scott-pruitts-reckless-spending-to-continue-in