EPA’s Pruitt admits role in aide’s pay raise but calls attacks on him politically motivated

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt during an interview in his office at the EPA headquarters in Washington on Oct. 25, 2017. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt during an interview in his office at the EPA headquarters in Washington on Oct. 25, 2017.

EPA chief faces Capitol Hill grilling over ethical missteps

Lawmakers assailed Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on Thursday for the ethics and spending scandals that have prompted bipartisan calls for his ouster. On the defensive, the EPA chief blamed "half truths" and "twisted" allegations, an effort to undermine the Trump administration's anti-regulatory agenda.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt heads to Capitol Hill to defend his conduct and management

As calls for his ouster rise, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt heads to Capitol Hill Thursday were he's expected to face scrutiny for misconduct allegations EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt heads to Capitol Hill to defend his conduct and management As calls for his ouster rise, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt heads to Capitol Hill Thursday were he's expected to face scrutiny for misconduct allegations Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2Hs06yU President Trump is defending Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt who is under fire for allegedly spending a lot of taxpayer money.

Remarks by President Trump and President Macron of France in Joint Press Conference

Ronny Jackson, Trump's V.A. Nominee, Faces Claims of Overprescription and Hostile Work Environment - WASHINGTON - The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is examining allegations that President Trump's nominee to lead the Veterans Affairs Department oversaw a hostile work environment Watchdog report points to power struggle involving VA pick - WASHINGTON - A watchdog report ordered in 2012 by Dr. Ronny Jackson - President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs - found that he and a rival physician exhibited "unprofessional behaviors" Sessions Declines to Recuse Himself From Probe Into Trump Lawyer - Attorney general's recusal from Mueller probe angered Trump - Sessions still may step back from some issues involving Cohen - Attorney General Jeff Sessions has decided against recusing himself from the investigation Mueller legislation is unconstitutional: Sen. Mike ... (more)

Opponents decry Scott Pruitt’s plan to roll back groundwater protections at coal ash sites

Heavy machinery excavate and carry coal ash from a drained coal ash pond at Dominion Power's Possum Point Power Station in Dumfries, Virginia. CREDIT: Kate Patterson for The Washington Post via Getty Images Residents have not been clamoring for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to weaken the nation's coal ash waste rules.

Climate deniers and tobacco flacks headline the EPA’s new science standard announcement

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Capitol Hill January 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. On Tuesday afternoon, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt signed a proposed rule limiting the kinds of science that the agency can use in its rulemaking, a step that he described as bringing transparency and trust back to the agency's scientific process.

An Earth Day question: When will we see ‘tailpipes’ on cars as morally wrong?

With automotive emissions regulations again coming under political pressure, we thought we'd re run this Earth Day question from 2014 in an attempt to answer the question: Why all the fuss? Why do we still focus on green cars some 40 years after the EPA imposed the most significant emissions limits on cars? We hope it will provoke thought engender constructive discussion tor today's political environment: They're the costs of people's actions on other people or communities-though the people taking those actions don't have to pay for those costs, even as they harm others.

Senator wants info on EPA chief’s multiple email accounts Source: AP

The Republican chairman of a Senate oversight committee is pressing the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide details about his use of multiple government email addresses. Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Barrasso issued a letter asking EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to disclose all his email addresses and affirm that all were being searched in response to Freedom of Information Act requests.

FILE – In this April 3, 2018, file photo, Environmental Protection…

In this April 3, 2018, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt speaks at a news conference in Washington. An internal government watchdog says the EPA violated federal spending laws when purchasing a $43,000 soundproof privacy booth for Pruitt to make private phone calls in his office.

Commission to consider household hazardous waste agreement

The Putnam County Commission Monday will consider approval of an agreement between the county and the city of Cookeville to locate a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site on city property.Under a The Putnam County Commission Monday will consider approval of an agreement between the county and the city of Cookeville to locate a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Site on city property. Under the interlocal agreement, the city will allow the county to construct the facility at the city-owned brush collection site on West Jackson Street.

Vote slated for Wheeler to be EPA’s No. 2

The Senate is set to vote on Andrew Wheeler to be the number two official at the Environmental Protection Agency amid ethics concerns plaguing EPA chief Scott Pruitt and calls from Democrats for him to resign. Two GOP leadership aides told CNN they expected Wheeler to be approved, which would make him the latest appointee at the agency with close ties to the energy industry.

Senators ask EPA to explain if Pruitt lied in Fox News interview

Three Democratic senators on the committee that oversees the Environmental Protection Agency are asking for answers on reports that the agency granted significant raises to two aides and whether Administrator Scott Pruitt lied about his knowledge of the raises in an interview on Fox News. The Atlantic reported last week that Pruitt granted raises to two of his aides at the EPA under a provision of the Safe Drinking Water Act after the White House personnel office denied the raises.

Pruitt’s security said to cost millions

In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Pruitt has spent millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on unprecedented security precautions that include a full-time detail of 20 armed officers, according to agency sources and documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

House panel investigating Pruitt’s condo rental

A U.S. congressional panel is investigating Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's use of a condominium tied to an energy lobbyist, a House Republican aide said on Saturday. FILE PHOTO - Scott Pruitt, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, testifies to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee oversight hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2018.

FILE – In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Environmental Protection…

In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Pruitt has spent millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on unprecedented security precautions that include a full-time detail of 20 armed officers, according to agency sources and documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

EPA chief’s job not assured after Trump’s praise – and ire

Esta foto del 3 de abril del 2018 muestra al admnistrador de la Agencia de ProtecciA3n Ambiental de Estados Unidos, Scott Pruitt, mientras hace declaraciones en Washington. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, center, winks at National Automobile Dealers Association president and CEO Peter Welch, right, as he takes the podium to speak at a news conference at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, Tuesday, April 3, 2018, on his decision to scrap Obama administration fuel standards.

EPA to roll back Obama-era fuel economy standards

Environmental regulators announced on Monday they will ease emissions standards for cars and trucks, saying that a timeline put in place by President Barack Obama was not appropriate and set standards "too high." Automakers applauded Monday's decision, arguing that the current requirements would have cost the industry billions of dollars and raised vehicle prices due to the cost of developing the necessary technology.