Orrin Hatch: “I rise to speak in support of the nomination of Scott Pruitt for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.…”

“I rise to speak in support of the nomination of Scott Pruitt for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Attorney General Pruitt has a distinguished record of public service in having served for 8 years in the Oklahoma State Senate before being sworn in as the attorney general of Oklahoma in 2010. Two dozen State attorneys general wrote to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in support of Mr. Pruitt's nomination. He has been endorsed by a wide variety of organizations representing a broad swath of America culture and industry, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Home Builders, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the Western Energy Alliance, and the Western Growers Association, just to name a few. In his capacity as State attorney general, Mr. Pruitt has consistently fought against Federal intrusion on State and individual liberties, and he has shown himself to be a thoughtful attorney who is dedicated to the Constitution and to the rule of law. The next Administrator of the EPA must respect the limits of Federal power. Few know these limits better than Mr. Pruitt, which is why I believe he will be a capable leader at the EPA. Mr. Pruitt will rein in Federal overreach and put a stop to many of the overbearing regulations that have done very little to protect the environment but much to hurt businesses, large and small.…”