Scott Pruitt, the new head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, dropped by The Post last week to discuss his priorities — some of which might surprise his critics.
Yes, Pruitt, like the president who appointed him, is determined to end Obama-era excesses, such as the all-pain, trivial-gain Clean Power Plan and the overreaching “Waters of the United States” rule that claimed the right to regulate even puddles.
Instead, the new administrator aims to focus the agency on actually finishing work it’s been neglecting. That includes bringing more of the nation into full attainment of clean air and clean water standards. And also actually getting Superfund sites cleaned up — when many have been stalled for decades.
Pruitt says he favors “EPA originalism” — getting the agency back to the work it was founded to do.
His critics may be furious that he’s not on board with the causes they favor — but everyone should wonder how the Environmental Protection Agency lost its focus on actually protecting the environment.