Legislator Coalition Letter Supporting EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt

April 20, 2018

By Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D.

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The Heartland Institute has written a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to defend EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt against orchestrated attacks by his political enemies.

April 20, 2018

The Honorable Donald Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write to express our sincere gratitude for your principled leadership in working with the states to lead the country, and truly appreciate an Administration that listens to state leaders and views us as allies rather than adversaries. We commend you for the America First Energy Plan, which has eased the burden of federal regulations under the direction of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and put the United States back on a path of energy dominance in the world. Coupled with tax cuts, these actions have spurred the bold economic growth and job creation that will be a main pillar of your legacy.

Administrator Pruitt deserves high praise for restoring cooperative federalism to the agency and partnering with the states instead of ignoring or admonishing us. He reversed the Clean Power Plan that was an unconstitutional commandeering of the states, ended the overreach of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, and is clearing the backlog of State Implementation Plans that many states submitted to the previous administration yet on which no action was taken. Pruitt has also ended “secret science” and “sue and settle” at EPA, and canceled unworkable CAFE standards that produce vehicles that the free market should direct and science doesn’t demand. This is a positive record of reform unmatched by any of his predecessors – and indeed, it is a vital correction after decades of overreach and abuse of power by the EPA, often at the states’ expense.

Precisely because of Pruitt’s record of leadership, radical environmentalists and their mainstream media friends are trying to force him out of office. This is yet another example of selective outrage by those you defeated in your election. While Pruitt is accused of conflicts of interest, the real conflicts at the EPA involved scientific advisors to the agency who were simultaneously receiving EPA grant money – another crooked tactic Pruitt has corrected. This whole ordeal is nothing more than an orchestrated political campaign by your enemies to undermine the deregulatory progress and economic growth your administration has fostered.

We urge you to stand strong and defend your EPA Administrator Pruitt against these attacks. You know better than anyone that if the Swamp wins, Americans lose. We thank you for your consideration of our views, which are shared by millions of Americans who admire your leadership and count on you to stand up for their interests and your appointments.

Sincerely,

Paul Mosley State Representative Arizona	Jason Dockter State Representative North Dakota
Ralph Watts State Representative Iowa	David Wilson State Representative Connecticut
Al Carlson State Representative Majority Leader North Dakota	Rick Becker State Representative North Dakota
Roscoe Streyle State Representative North Dakota	Jeff Delzer State Representative North Dakota
Marc Abear State Representative New Hampshire	Vern Laning State Representative North Dakota
Roger Brabandt State Representative North Dakota	Eric Redman State Representative Idaho
Scott Louser State Representative North Dakota	Chuck Damschen State Representative North Dakota
Brian Greene State Representative Utah	Dennis Powers State Representative Tennessee
Dick Anderson State Representative North Dakota	Jim Grueneich State Representative North Dakota
Craig Johnson State Representative North Dakota	Bernie Satrom State Representative North Dakota
Warren Miller State Delegate Maryland	Kim Koppelman State Representative North Dakota
Linda Runbeck State Representative Minnesota	Brandi Pyle State Representative North Dakota
Anne Copp State Representative New Hampshire	Michael Howe State Representative North Dakota
Christopher Olson State Representative North Dakota	Don Vigessa State Representative North Dakota
Jon O. Nelson State Representative North Dakota	Sage G. Dixon State Representative Idaho
Ben Koppelman State Representative North Dakota	Daniel Johnston State Representative North Dakota
Gary Staples State Representative Mississippi	Jeff Thompson State Representative Idaho
Andrew Marschall State Representative North Dakota	Sebastian Ertelt State Representative North Dakota
Mark Owens State Representative North Dakota	Kathy Skroch State Representative North Dakota
Michael Vose State Representative New Hampshire	Bill Taylor State Representative South Carolina
Gary Paur State Representative North Dakota	Randy Boehning State Representative North Dakota
Wayne Trottier State Representative North Dakota	Michael Brandenburg State Representative North Dakota
Nathan Wadsworth State Representative Maine	Jay Siebel State Representative North Dakota
Jeffery Magrum State Representative North Dakota	Nathan Toman State Representative North Dakota
Scott Syme State Representative Idaho	Luke Simons State Representative North Dakota
Chet Pollert State Representative North Dakota	Kurt Wuelper State Representative New Hampshire
Mark Neuman State Representative Alaska	Mike Schatz State Representative North Dakota
Craig Headland State Representative North Dakota	Shannon Roers Jones State Representative North Dakota
Mike Nathe State Representative North Dakota	Vicky Steiner State Representative North Dakota
Karen Rohr State Representative North Dakota	Dan Lauwers State Representative Michigan
Jim Schmidt State Representative North Dakota	Larry Bellew State Representative North Dakota
Pat Heinert State Representative North Dakota	Dan Ruby State Representative North Dakota
John Piscopo State Representative Connecticut	Keith Kempenich State Representative North Dakota
Randy Schobinger State Representative North Dakota	Rich Wardner State Senator Majority leader North Dakota
Sondra Erickson State Representative Minnesota	Andre Cushing State Senator Maine
Matthew Ruby State Representative North Dakota	Brad Bekkedahl State Senator North Dakota
Jonathan Kinney State Representative Maine	Mary Kiffmeyer State Senator Minnesota
Tom Kading State Representative North Dakota	Oley Larsen State Senator North Dakota
Rob Sampson State Representative Connecticut	Jordan Kannianen State Senator North Dakota
Jim Kasper State Representative North Dakota	Dan Hall State Senator Minnesota
Jake Blum State Representative North Dakota	Randall Burckhard State Senator North Dakota
Robin Weisz State Representative North Dakota	Janne Myrdal State Senator North Dakota
Charles Poindexter State Delegate Virginia	Mary Franson State Senator Minnesota
David Farnsworth State Senator Arizona	Jerry Klein State Senator North Dakota
David Clemens State Senator North Dakota	Dick Dever State Senator North Dakota
Tom Campbell State Senator North Dakota	Jessica Unruh State Senator North Dakota
Angela Hill State Senator Mississippi	Kelly Armstrong State Senator North Dakota
Arne Osland State Senator North Dakota	Margaret Dayton State Senator Utah
Gary A. Lee State Senator North Dakota	David Hogue State Senator North Dakota
Robert Erbele State Senator North Dakota	Bill Cook State Senator North Carolina
Mary Pilcher-Cook State Senator Kansas	Kyle Davison State Senator North Dakota
Terry Wanzek State Senator North Dakota	Curt Kruen State Senator North Dakota
Diane Larson State Senator North Dakota	Ronald Sorvaag State Senator North Dakota
Donald Schaible State Senator North Dakota	Jim Roers State Senator North Dakota
Shelley Hughes State Senator Alaska	Ray Holmberg State Senator North Dakota
Dennis Linthicum State Senator Oregon	Shawn Vedaa State Senator North Dakota
Scott Meyer State Senator North Dakota

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Environment Energy Climate Change

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Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D.

Tim Huelskamp served as president of The Heartland Institute from 2017 to 2019.

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Legislator Coalition Letter Supporting EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt

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