Story highlights Democrats and progressive groups pledged to mount a fight against Scott Pruitt's nomination

The Oklahoma attorney general is prominent critic of climate change science

(CNN) Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, his former campaign manager told reporters Wednesday.

"Attorney General Pruitt has great qualifications and a good record as the AG of Oklahoma, and there were a number of qualified candidates for that particular position that the President-elect interviewed and he settled on Attorney General Pruitt and we'll look forward to the confirmation hearing," Kellyanne Conway told reporters Wednesday.

The move elevates a fierce EPA critic -- Pruitt had sued the agency over its regulations of power plants -- to the position of EPA administrator.

It's a signal the Trump administration is intent on reversing President Barack Obama's moves to curb climate change. In a statement Thursday morning from the Trump transition team making the nomination official, Pruitt was quoted as saying,

"The American people are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the environment and freedom for American businesses."

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