In what amount to a massive shock for the environs and America ’s crusade to push back against climate change , Oklahoma lawyer generalScott Pruittwas substantiate at the end of last calendar week as the young straits of the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) . senator voted52 to 46 – with two Democrats actually backing him , and one Republican fight back – to sanction his Ascension of the Lord .

Curiously , if DemocratsJoe Manchin IIIof West Virginia andHeidi Heitkampof North Dakota really decided to vote against Pruitt ’s substantiation , it would n’t have been successful . As it so bump , they are both from coal - rich states , and you ’d be hard pressed to get hold any other industry that ’s keener to take apart the EPA .

The EPA is the organisation that keeps America ’s air , land , and water as pollutant - gratis as possible . Under the Obama administration , it was consecrate more muscularity to enact clime change bar measures on a interior level , something which dodo fuel conglomerates and coal / crude / flatulence - rich states were to a great extent opposed to .

Scott Pruitt has spent much of his career organise such groups to action the EPA , although almost always unsuccessfully . The opinion in these cases generally realise that clime modification , of class , does n’t care for state boundaries and the environment required federal initiatives to be in good order protect .

Pruitt is also a climate change denier somewhere on the scale between square - out prankster to “ the skill is n’t settled . ” He also happens to be digest by a orotund pool of organizations of clime modification denier , and most of these are funded by the extremely conservativeKoch brothers , two of the world ’s moneyed dodo fuel magnates .

In fact , the tie-in between Pruitt and fogey fuel companies may be even stronger than previously understand . Just last week , a judge rank him to hand overthousands of emailsbetween himself and key figures in the vim manufacture , but he refused . This is one of many such orders spanning two twelvemonth , none of which have been mind .

Pruitt has been lancinate to take down the EPA for some time , in terms of water down its sureness to anaemic levels . A new House measure , one put forward by some Tea Party Republicans , actually aims toterminate the EPAby the end of 2018 , and Pruitt would not be against this .

Despitelast - ditch effortsby employees of the EPA , many of whom have beenorderedto not discuss their work with the jam or world , the attorney general is now in charge of the organization he ’s long require to demolish as far back as the Reagan era .

Pruitt ’s main objective lens will be to at the same time roll back Obama - geological era environmental shelter measures while giving more power to each individual state to decide how they will deal such regulations .

This sounds like the tycoon is being give “ back to the the great unwashed , ” but as State Department are so slanted depending on their energy industriousness links , this will ultimately result in amish - mashof clean get-up-and-go land next to far “ dirtier ” ones . Those like California and New York will push ahead with renewable energy measures , while those like North Dakota will duplicate - down on burning ember and gas .

It ’s also likely that he ’ll want to for good remove the EPA ’s ability to have a say over glasshouse gas emissions . As frightening as this threat is , there may be some hope yet .

The EPA ’s Obama - era emission cutting target , ambitious as they seemed at the prison term , are a decennium - and - a - halfahead of agenda , despite not even have any legal foundation . As it turns out , most of America is throw to renewable energy all by itself , thanks to the clear economic and environmental benefits of doing so .

So Pruitt ’s appointment is grim , yes – but possibly , just maybe , it ’s too late to turn back the tide .