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| Trump picks climate sceptic Pruitt for environment chief | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| US President-elect Donald Trump will name an outspoken critic of President Obama's climate change policies to head the Environmental Protection Agency. | US President-elect Donald Trump will name an outspoken critic of President Obama's climate change policies to head the Environmental Protection Agency. |
| Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, 48, is seen as an ally of the fossil fuel industry. | Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, 48, is seen as an ally of the fossil fuel industry. |
| He has been a key player in legal challenges against EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. | He has been a key player in legal challenges against EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. |
| Democrats and environmentalists in the US have expressed dismay, calling Mr Pruitt a climate change denier. | Democrats and environmentalists in the US have expressed dismay, calling Mr Pruitt a climate change denier. |
| Mr Pruitt's appointment has not yet been formally announced, but Mr Trump's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared to confirm it on Wednesday evening. | Mr Pruitt's appointment has not yet been formally announced, but Mr Trump's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared to confirm it on Wednesday evening. |
| "Attorney General Pruitt has great qualifications and a good record... We look forward to the confirmation hearings,'' she said. | "Attorney General Pruitt has great qualifications and a good record... We look forward to the confirmation hearings,'' she said. |
| What Scott Pruitt believes | What Scott Pruitt believes |
| Mr Pruitt has sued the EPA on several occasions, most recently over Mr Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. | Mr Pruitt has sued the EPA on several occasions, most recently over Mr Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. |
| He called the move "an unlawful attempt to expand federal bureaucrats' authority over states' energy economies in order to shutter coal-fired power plants". | He called the move "an unlawful attempt to expand federal bureaucrats' authority over states' energy economies in order to shutter coal-fired power plants". |
| And, writing in the National Review in May, Mr Pruitt said of climate change: "That debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind." | And, writing in the National Review in May, Mr Pruitt said of climate change: "That debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind." |
| There is consensus among the majority of scientists in the field that carbon emissions from human activities are a key driver of rising temperatures and that the impact of climate change will be severe. | There is consensus among the majority of scientists in the field that carbon emissions from human activities are a key driver of rising temperatures and that the impact of climate change will be severe. |
| Mr Trump, in a speech on energy on the campaign trail in May, castigated the Obama administration's environmental initiatives. He promised to scrap "any regulation that is outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers, or contrary to the national interest". | Mr Trump, in a speech on energy on the campaign trail in May, castigated the Obama administration's environmental initiatives. He promised to scrap "any regulation that is outdated, unnecessary, bad for workers, or contrary to the national interest". |
| He also pledged to "cancel" the Paris climate deal, which came into force in November. The landmark agreement commits governments to moving their economies away from fossil fuels and reducing carbon emissions in a bid to contain global temperature rise. | |
| But last month, in an apparent softening, he acknowledged in a meeting with the New York Times that there was "some connectivity" between human activity and climate change. | But last month, in an apparent softening, he acknowledged in a meeting with the New York Times that there was "some connectivity" between human activity and climate change. |
| What his critics say | What his critics say |
| The news of his selection for EPA head comes as a blow to Democrats and environmentalists. | The news of his selection for EPA head comes as a blow to Democrats and environmentalists. |
| "Attorney General Pruitt's reluctance to accept the facts or science on climate change couldn't make him any more out of touch with the American people, and with reality,'' said Chuck Schumer, the incoming leader of the Senate Democrats. | "Attorney General Pruitt's reluctance to accept the facts or science on climate change couldn't make him any more out of touch with the American people, and with reality,'' said Chuck Schumer, the incoming leader of the Senate Democrats. |
| "President-elect Trump promised to break the special interests' grip on Washington, but his nomination of Mr Pruitt - who has a troubling history of advocating on behalf of big oil at the expense of public health - only tightens it." | "President-elect Trump promised to break the special interests' grip on Washington, but his nomination of Mr Pruitt - who has a troubling history of advocating on behalf of big oil at the expense of public health - only tightens it." |
| Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders called the move "sad and dangerous", while Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund called Mr Pruitt "a deeply troubling choice to head the agency that protects the clean air all Americans breathe and the clean water we drink". | Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders called the move "sad and dangerous", while Fred Krupp of the Environmental Defense Fund called Mr Pruitt "a deeply troubling choice to head the agency that protects the clean air all Americans breathe and the clean water we drink". |
| But Jim Inhofe, a Republican senator from Oklahoma who called global warming a "hoax", said Mr Pruitt had "fought back against unconstitutional and overzealous environmental regulations... he has proven that being a good steward of the environment does not mean burdening tax payers and businesses with red tape". | But Jim Inhofe, a Republican senator from Oklahoma who called global warming a "hoax", said Mr Pruitt had "fought back against unconstitutional and overzealous environmental regulations... he has proven that being a good steward of the environment does not mean burdening tax payers and businesses with red tape". |