The Head Of The EPA Is Waging War On The Agency From Inside

Before Scott Pruitt ran the Environmental Protection Agency, he railed against it. We look at how he's fighting it from the inside.

The Head Of The EPA Is Waging War On The Agency From Inside

By Alexandra Miller
November 8, 2017

By Alexandra Miller
November 8, 2017

Before Scott Pruitt ran the Environmental Protection Agency, he railed against it — the former Oklahoma attorney general sued the agency 14 times before taking over as its administrator. Now, he's working to make huge changes to the agency from within.

Get a deeper understanding of the stories that matter with Newsy's "The Why" — weekdays 7-9 p.m. ET.

TRENDING IN Politics NEWS

Former CIA director John Brennan

Brennan May Consider Legal Action After Security Clearance Stripped

American pastor Andrew Brunson, who's been detained in Turkey since October 2016.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

US Reportedly Refuses To Negotiate Over Pastor's Release

Child and mother reunited

Judge Says ACLU, Government Must Reach Agreement On Reunifications

Former CIA Officials Criticize Trump For Revoking Brennan's Clearance

US Will Stop Funding Stabilization Efforts In Syria

Migrants in Europe

Germany And Greece Agree On Migrant Relocation Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at NATO summit

Turkey Again Refuses To Release American Pastor As Tensions Rise

Trump Might Take Away Bruce Ohr's Security Clearance. So, Who Is He?

A military parade in China

Military Parades Are A Global Go-To Tactic To Show Off Strength

US Sanctions Myanmar Military Officials And Units

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

AG Tells Immigration Judges To Move Through Deportation Cases Quicker

Detroit Lions players kneel during the national anthem

The President Claims Most NFL Game Money Goes To Players — It Doesn't

Ted Cruz speaks to a crowd.

Ted Cruz Claims Opponent Wants To Abolish ICE. Is That True?

Sen. Chuck Schumer

Democrats Say They'll Sue If Kavanaugh Info Request Isn't Fulfilled

Border Patrol agent frisks a woman

Official: HHS Doesn't Have To Check On Kids Released From Its Custody

A Russian rocket

Russian Satellite Maneuvers Are Making The US Nervous

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai speaks on repeal of net neutrality laws

Getty Images / Alex Wong

FCC Chair Explains Why Agency Misled Congress On Fake Cyberattack

A man holds a "CNN Sucks" sign behind reporter Jim Acosta

Senate Votes To Condemn Trump-Like Attacks On Press

U.S. Army soldiers salute

Trump's Military Parade Could Cost More Than We Thought

Students protest in Bangladesh

How Women Impacted The Bangladeshi Student Movement For Safe Roads

American and Chinese flags

US Trade Talks With China Will Continue In Late August

Former CIA director John Brennan

Why John Brennan Had (And Lost) His Security Clearance

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Cuomo Criticized For America 'Was Never That Great' Comment

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's New Bill Aims To Redistribute Corporate Wealth

Colorado Baker Is Going To Court Again After Refusing A Cake Order

President Donald Trump

President Trump Releases Statement On John Brennan's Security Access

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Getty Images / Gokhan Tan

Turkey's Economy Is Struggling, And That's Partly On The US

Omarosa Manigault-Newman

The Omarosa Drama Is Putting Trump's Nondisclosures In The Spotlight

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi

Trump's Iran Sanctions Are Causing Political Pain In Iraq

U.S. Border Patrol agents take Central American immigrants into custody on January 4, 2017 near McAllen, Texas.

Deported Parents Could Finally Reunite With 386 Left-Behind Kids

National Security Adviser John Bolton

Bolton To Meet With Russian Officials As A 'Follow-Up' To Helsinki

Christine Hallquist

Facebook / Christine Hallquist

Transgender Candidate Makes History In Vermont Gubernatorial Primary

People walking to vote

How Young Hispanics May Have The Deciding Vote In Future Elections

Sen. Bernie Sanders

US Sen. Bernie Sanders Clinches Vermont's Senate Democratic Nomination

Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer Concedes To Secretary Of State Kris Kobach

Gary Johnson Announces Bid For New Mexico Senate Seat

Women protest in Tunisia

Equality Now / Chedly Ben Ibrahim

Tunisia's Push For Women's Rights Now Focuses On Inheritance Laws

Former White House aide and reality television star Omarosa Manigault Newman

Trump Campaign Takes Legal Action Against Omarosa

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan's Achievements Are On The Line In Wisconsin's Midterms

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross

Gov. Watchdog Group Wants Commerce Secretary Investigated

A bipartisan redistricting commission

Newsy Staff / Andrew Lawler

To Fix Gerrymandering, Lawmakers Might Need To Give Up Some Control

Graphic of social determinants' impact on health

Newsy Staff / Andrew Lawler

Big Data Doctors Are Focusing On How We Live To Catch Health Issues

Special counsel Robert Mueller

Federal Judge Backs Mueller In Indicted Russian Company's Claim

Former FBI Agent Peter Strzok

FBI Fires Agent Peter Strzok

People shaking hands.

Newsy Staff / Nick Refuerzo

Understanding Tariffs, The Bane Of International Trade

Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman

White House May Be Looking Into Legal Options To Stop Further Leaks

U.S. Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) leaving court.

Will Trump Team Scandals Weigh Down GOP in November?

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison

US Rep. Keith Ellison Denies Allegations Of Abuse

Rep. Chris Collins

Rep. Chris Collins Won't Seek Re-election Amid Insider Trading Charges

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos

Betsy DeVos Wants To End Rules Meant To Curb Abuse By Some Colleges

Palestinian protesters

NPR: US Will Likely Cut Most Palestinian Aid Permanently

SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh

SCOTUS Nominee Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Hearing Scheduled

Trump Admin Submits Plan To Reunite Children With Deported Parents

North Korea Criticized Some US Officials, But Not Trump

Farm equipment sprays pesticide

Court Slams EPA For Allowing Pesticide With Known Side Effects

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

Here's What Really Happened To The Fine Against A DeVos-Run PAC

NFL players holds up his fist during national anthem.

Trump Calls For NFL To Suspend Players Who Kneel During Anthem

President Donald Trump

Trump To Double Steel And Aluminum Tariffs On Turkey

Protest on Money in Politics

The $195 Order Of Cider And Punch That Launched Campaign Finance Law

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach

Kobach Says He'll Recuse Himself From Vote Count In Primary Race

AG Jeff Sessions

Judge Orders 2 Deported Immigrants Seeking Appeal Returned To US

Person holding an iPhone

Apple Tells Lawmakers iPhones Aren't Eavesdropping On Users

A framed photo of José Antonio Elena Rodriguez

Border Agent Who Fatally Shot Mexican Teen Isn't Immune, Court Says

Voters cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election

Getty Images / Ethan Miller

US Cybersecurity Has Largely Stalled Since The 2016 Election

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach

Trump's Voter Fraud Point Man Is Stuck In A Close KS Primary Race

Newsy's Jamal Andress and a Charlottesville resident look at a Confederate monument

Newsy / Luke Piotrowski

Charlottesville Remains Ground Zero For The Confederate Statues Debate

WikiLeaks Says US Senators Want To Interview Julian Assange

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

US To Impose Sanctions On Russia Over Nerve Agent Poisoning

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani

Trump's Legal Team Rejects Mueller's Latest Interview Request

Hands holding different dollar and euro notes

Universal Basic Income Is A Hot Welfare Idea — But Can It Be Funded?

Rick Gates outside of a courtroom

Meet Rick Gates, The Man Who Could Send Paul Manafort To Jail

CVS Pharmacy sign

CVS Rolls Out Digital Doctor Visits On Its App

Man at voting booth

Our Primary System Didn't Start With The Framers, So Why Do We Do It?

Rep. Chris Collins from New York

US Rep. Chris Collins Arrested On Insider Trading Charges

President Trump speaks at a U.S. Steel facility

US Steel Not Opening Six New Mills, No Matter How Much Trump Says It

Voters line up to cast their ballots

Races In Ohio And Kansas Are Still Too Close To Call

Jeff Sessions speaking at a National Sheriffs' Association event

ACLU Files Suit Against Jeff Sessions Over Asylum Restrictions

American and Chinese flags

Trump Administration Announces Tariffs On $16B In Chinese Goods

Paul Manafort's Defense Questions Rick Gates' Reliability

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer checks a passport

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

DHS Report: Over 600,000 Immigrants Overstayed Their Visas Last Year

Donald Trump on the White House lawn

Legal Experts: Almost No Upside For Trump To Speak To Mueller

Sheet of "I Voted" stickers

West Virginia Will Let Service Members Abroad Vote Via Mobile App

Presidential Campaigns In The US Are Long. Does It Affect How We Vote?

students in Bangladesh during a protest

Why Students In Bangladesh Are Enforcing Traffic Safety Rules

AT&T sign on building

DOJ Explains Why It Continues To Challenge AT&T, Time Warner Merger

Iranian nuclear power station

US Sanctions On Iran Snap Back Into Place

A firefighter and flames.

U.S. Forest Service

Trump Makes Head-Scratching Claim About California Wildfires

Rick Gates Didn't Hold Back In His Testimony Against Paul Manafort

Republican Troy Balderson greets a Trump supporter ahead of a rally with the president.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

What Ohio's Special Election Could Mean For The Midterms

A homeless man asks for money in San Francisco.

Are Silicon Valley Imitators At Risk Of Affordable Housing Crises?

European Union flags outside the European Council building

EU Says It'll Protect Companies Doing Legitimate Business With Iran

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul

Sen. Rand Paul Invites Russian Lawmakers To Visit The Capitol

Protesters outside of the NRA's headquarters

At An NRA Protest, We Ask: Is There A Middle Ground On Guns?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkish President Calls New US Sanctions Disrespectful

A ZTE smartphone

DNC Candidates Get Smartphone Warning About Two Companies

North Korean nuclear test site

UN Report: North Korea Hasn't Stopped Its Nuclear, Missile Programs