Scott Pruitt, attorney general of Oklahoma and a sceptic of climate science, has been chosen by Donald Trump as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Pruitt, a Republican, has been picked at a time when he is part of legal action waged by 28 states against the EPA to halt the Clean Power Plan, an effort by Barack Obama’s administration to curb greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. His nomination is a clear signal of Republicans’ desire to dismantle Obama’s climate legacy.



“We’re very accustomed to the naysayers and the critics,” said Trump aide Kellyanne Conway. “Attorney General Pruitt has great qualifications and a good record as AG of Oklahoma and there were a number of qualified candidates for that particular position that the president-elect interviewed. We look forward to the confirmation hearings.”



Pruitt has called the EPA’s rule “unlawful and overreaching” and has cast doubt on the overwhelming scientific evidence that human activity is causing the planet to warm. “That debate is far from settled,” he said in May. “Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind.”

Environmental groups said that Pruitt was a “puppet” of the fossil fuel industry, pointing to his intervention in 2014 to push back against air pollution standards by using a three-page letter penned by Devon Energy, one of Oklahoma’s largest oil and gas companies.

“Having Scott Pruitt in charge of the US Environmental Protection Agency is like putting an arsonist in charge of fighting fires,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. “He is a climate science denier who, as attorney general for the state of Oklahoma, regularly conspired with the fossil fuel industry to attack EPA regulations. Nothing less than our children’s health is at stake.”

Trip Van Noppen, president of Earthjustice, which has joined in defence of the Clean Power Plan in court, said “every American should be appalled” by Pruitt’s nomination.

“The head of the Environmental Protection Agency should be making sure that our air is clean to breathe and our water is safe to drink, not working to make sure polluters make more money,” he said.

Van Noppen added: “Pruitt has cast doubt about whether global warming is related to human activity. Anyone who doesn’t believe in scientific research is completely unqualified to lead the primary federal agency tasked with addressing this issue.”

Eric T Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York, said Pruitt was a “dangerous and unqualified choice” who had acted as an “agent of the oil and gas industry”.

“The science is clear: climate change and the existential threat it poses to all Americans is real,” he said. “Yet as attorney general, Mr Pruitt not only denied the existence of climate change, but took steps to accelerate its devastating effects on Americans.

“If the EPA under Scott Pruitt fails to uphold our nation’s environmental laws, I stand ready to use the full power of my office to compel their enforcement by the agency.”

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Chuck Schumer, the Democratic senate leader, said Pruitt’s positions on climate change and public health meant that he would “have to answer many tough questions throughout the nomination process”.

A key ally of the energy industry, Pruitt has sided with Exxon Mobil, which is the subject of an investigation by attorneys general in Massachusetts and New York over claims that it misled investors by covering up its knowledge of climate change.

If confirmed, he will probably aid the effort to demolish the Clean Power Plan, although this will not be a simple task as it is underpinned by the Clean Air Act of 1970. Pruitt could choose to not defend it in court or fail to implement its rules, however. The plan is currently on hold pending the legal action.

This year is set to be the warmest on record, following a trend of rising temperates over the past century. Scientists have warned that the US faces unprecedented coastline inundation, extreme weather events, drought and displacement of people should climate change not be addressed.