{"id":17889,"date":"2017-09-12T11:44:32","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T16:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/?p=17889"},"modified":"2017-09-12T11:48:13","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T16:48:13","slug":"fighting-back-against-scott-pruitts-relentless-distortions-of-climate-science-and-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/climate411\/2017\/09\/12\/fighting-back-against-scott-pruitts-relentless-distortions-of-climate-science-and-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Scott Pruitt\u2019s relentless distortions of climate science and law"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>This summer was anything but quiet for climate policy.<\/p>\n

In June, President Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.<\/p>\n

In July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit blocked<\/a> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s attempt to suspend protections from climate-destabilizing oil and gas pollution, calling the move \u201cunauthorized\u201d and \u201cunreasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August, two judges of the same court reminded EPA<\/a> of its \u201caffirmative statutory obligation to regulate greenhouse gases,\u201d citing longstanding Supreme Court precedent.<\/p>\n

Now, the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey<\/a> and the record strength of Hurricane Irma<\/a> are showing us what\u2019s at stake, as sea level rises and extreme weather becomes more frequent.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Administrator Pruitt has continued<\/a> his pattern of deeply misleading statements<\/a> about climate change and EPA\u2019s responsibility to protect public health and the environment.<\/p>\n

Pruitt uses these statements in an attempt to justify rolling back vital public health and environmental safeguards. In just his first four months in office, he took action against more than 30 health and environmental protections,<\/a>\u00a0including the Clean Power Plan<\/a> \u2014 our first and only national limit on carbon pollution from existing power plants.<\/p>\n

As America\u2019s proven, life-saving environmental protections come under attack, here are four facts about climate law and science<\/strong> to help cut through Pruitt\u2019s distortions.<\/p>\n

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  1. EPA has an affirmative statutory obligation to regulate climate pollution<\/strong><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Administrator Pruitt frequently questions EPA\u2019s ability and authority to regulate climate pollutants under the Clean Air Act. But contrary to Pruitt\u2019s claims, the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the Clean Air Act covers climate pollution.<\/p>\n