Pruitt Brings Hope of a New Era at the EPA
During the eight years of the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency ballooned into a massive, powerful federal bureaucracy that became increasingly intrusive and out-of-touch with the needs and economic realities of our rural communities and agriculture industry. We often saw regulations coming out of Washington that were a gross overreach of federal power and were written with reckless indifference to our hardworking farmers and ranchers — regulations that had the ability to force people from their homes, close businesses and decimate rural communities.
Take for example the EPA’s 2015 push to expand federal regulation of bodies of water, including drainage ditches and “ponds” formed after a heavy rain, under the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. Had the rule been allowed to go into effect, it’s been estimated that 99 percent of Missouri’s total acreage would’ve been subjected to EPA regulation, crippling our agriculture industry and rural communities. Thankfully, a last-minute court ruling delayed the rule from taking effect.
On Feb. 17, former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt was confirmed as EPA administrator. Already, he has demonstrated a keen understanding of the hardships experienced by the agricultural community under the Obama administration. Less than two weeks into the job, Mr. Pruitt joined the president in announcing that the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers had been directed to review and then rescind or revise the WOTUS rule.
Missouri lawmakers have done what we can over the past several years to find and promote a balanced regulatory environment that preserves our natural resources and meets the needs of our communities while respecting the costs and economic implications of those regulations. Even though we’ve undertaken these efforts at the state level, maintaining that balance was unfortunately met with obstacles at nearly every turn under the previous administration.
Mr. Pruitt was an ideal choice to lead the EPA. As a state attorney general, he witnessed the real world consequences of the agency’s unconstitutional overreach. He earned bipartisan respect and recognition during his tenure as attorney general by demonstrating an expertise in constitutional law and the federal regulatory system. He is committed to clean air and clean water and has a long record of environmental protection in Oklahoma as the state’s attorney general.
While states must always remain vigilant against excessive and unchecked federal regulation, I’m hopeful we’ve started to turn a corner and, going forward, will be able to spend more time and resources focusing on our citizens and communities and less time fighting harmful, unrealistic federal regulations.
As always, please feel free to call, email, or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.