Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt is working to define the agency's mission as one of stewardship of the environment, contrasting with previous efforts at environmentalism, according to The Hill.
"What is true environmentalism? What do you consider true environmentalism? And from my perspective, it's environmental stewardship, not prohibition," Pruitt said in November at a Federalist Society event, the website reported.
"We have been blessed, as a country, with tremendous natural resources… I believe that we have an obligation to feed the world and power the world, with a sensitivity, as far as environmental stewardship, for future generations," Pruitt said.
"But for the past few years, we have been told it's prohibition, it's put up a fence, it's do not touch," Pruitt added.
Pruitt has been skeptical of the scientific community's consensus view of climate change, and has acted on rolling back some of the Obama administration's policies on climate, air pollution, chemical safety, and other issues.
The priority, says Pruitt, should be cleaning up air quality and contaminated areas, calling those issues a more pressing concern than climate change, The Hill reported.
Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune rejected Pruitt's stance.
"I find myself wondering whether Scott Pruitt actually believes this stuff, or if he's a careful student of George Orwell. If he repeats something enough, again and again and again, at least some portion of the public will begin to believe it," said Brune, according to The Hill.
"His statements cause me to shake my head and almost chuckle," Brune added.
More than 700 employees at the EPA have left the agency since President Donald Trump became president.
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