WASHINGTON _ Even as the newly installed Environmental Protection Agency chief sought to calm employees anxious about his longtime opposition to the agency, Scott Pruitt managed to rattle them a little more.
Concerns about the direction he will take the EPA grew with publication over the weekend of his first interview as agency chief.
During it, he suggested to The Wall Street Journal that the EPA, which has taken the lead in federal efforts to regulate greenhouse gases, may not even be equipped to be playing much of a role at all.
He left open the possibility that the agency will look for leadership on global warming from the GOP Congress, where there has been a persistent opposition to meaningful climate action and mainstream climate science.
During his first agency-wide address Tuesday, Pruitt focused on his favorite themes of federalism, the need for predictability among regulated industries and the dangers of agency overreach. But he also sought to reassure the staff by remarking repeatedly about how much he values its work.
He expressed admiration for the many employees he met during his first meetings at the headquarters who have been with the agency for decades.
"You can't lead unless you can listen," Pruitt said. "I seek to listen, learn and lead with you." But he also bemoaned the "toxic" nature of modern politics.
Conservatives have accused the EPA of taking actions outside the rule of law in pursuit of a liberal environmental agenda. That's not how many employees of the 15,000-person agency view their work over the last several years. Their relationship with the new boss is certain to be tense. Just before Pruitt was confirmed Friday, 773 former employees signed a letter urging the Senate to reject him.
On Monday, Greenwire reported that Pruitt, a frequent target of protesters, is requesting around-the-clock security protection from the Secret Service. The protests may only intensify as Pruitt sets about dismantling the last administration's work on the environment.
"John Muir is rolling over in his grave at the notion of someone as toxic to the environment as Scott Pruitt taking over the EPA," Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said after Tuesday's speech.
