Goings on at Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency concern those of us old enough to remember when unfettered industry used our air and water as an open sewer.

After reading this, judge for yourselves whether the appointment of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as EPA administrator is deeply troubling.

Since being elected AG in 2010, Pruitt has sued the EPA 14 times to diminish its role – several of those cases ending in failure.

Recently, even though Oklahoma’s Department of Environmental Quality said the state could meet the EPA’s 2015 rule reducing ozone from 75 parts per billion to 70 ppb by the 2020 to 2037 deadline, Pruitt joined with four other states suing to block the rule. That case is still pending.

Ozone is formed near the ground when sun heats nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Automobiles, power plants and industrial facilities account for most of those emissions. Ozone is beneficial to humans high in the atmosphere. However, when it accumulates at ground level, it can worsen asthma and bring about premature death. The American Lung Association labels it “one of the most dangerous” pollutants in the U.S.

Pruitt’s litigation record is not evidence that he has “used transparent, smart regulations to protect our air and water without stifling development of America’s abundant natural resources.” Yet that’s what National Association for Manufacturer’s advertisements claimed when urging his confirmation.

During confirmation hearings, Pruitt confirmed donations to his campaigns from the Koch Brothers, Exxon Mobil, Murray Energy, Southern Company, Devon Energy, and groups that support fossil fuel energy production like API, the Edison Electric Institute, Freedom Partners, and Americans for Prosperity.

He also acknowledged that a letter he sent opposing EPA efforts to limit the leaking of methane gas from drilling sites and pipelines was mostly written by natural gas company, Devon Energy, lobbyists.

Upon hearing all this, Democrats on the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee walked out and demanded more complete information on Pruitt’s potential conflicts of interest before voting on his confirmation. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) wrote:

“It has been reported that your office has at least 52 outstanding Open Records Act requests … six from the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). One CMD request dating back to January 5, 2015, is for over 3,000 emails and attachments between the Attorney General and his top staff, sent using official and/or personal email accounts, and Koch Industries, Devon Energy, Peabody Coal, and other entities active in EPA matters. … Other requests are for emails between Mr. Pruitt and the American Legislative Exchange Council, Competitive Enterprise Institute, State Policy Network, and AGs United for Clean Power. Mr. Pruitt’s relationship with these organizations could present conflicts of interest should he be confirmed as Administrator of EPA.”

Republicans were keen to get their hands on Hillary Clinton’s emails. Pruitt’s not so much. Without waiting for the additional information, Senate Republicans suspended the rule that at least one Democrat had to be present for a committee vote to be taken, and then voted 11 to 0 to send Pruitt’s nomination to the full Senate.

It did not matter – or maybe it did – that budget documents confirm that funding for “environmental law” in the Oklahoma attorney general’s office fell from $463,000 in 2010 – the year before Pruitt arrived – to zero in 2014.

Pruitt will review all new environmental rules that Trump just froze. Trump also ordered all outbound communication from the EPA to stop – no social media, no conferences, no meetings between the agency and the public. So if you want to know about superfund site cleanup, or whether emissions from your hometown industry comply with federal safety laws, you’re out of luck.

Yet, on Feb. 2, guest columnist Amy Cooke contends press coverage of Trump’s “so-called ‘gag order'” is an overreaction to “the normal transfer of power,” causing a “false firestorm.” Amy, Trump caused the firestorm by also suspending all federal environmental grants and contracts; stalling billions headed to air pollution monitoring, water quality testing and environmental research.

That’s not a normal transition. It’s one empowering the guy who torched Oklahoma’s environmental law enforcement; one that’ll make America’s air and water dirty again.

Russ Doty, a retired Montana legislator, consumer energy attorney, and Minnesota administrative law judge, writes frequently on environmental and energy issues from Greeley. His web site is www.MTCARES.org.